The Office of Faculty Affairs welcomes Dave DeThorne to Northern Illinois University as the new director of Academic and Labor Relations.
Dave DeThorne
Prior to this role, DeThorne served as director of Academic Labor Relations at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He brings a total of 13 years of experience with labor relations to this position at NIU.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dave to the Huskie family,” said Bárbara González, vice provost for Faculty Affairs. “Dave’s prior experience will serve him well here at NIU, and we look forward to working with him and continuing our ongoing efforts to provide support to faculty members.”
The Academic Employee and Labor Relations office supports faculty success at NIU. The office conducts negotiations of collective bargaining agreements with faculty unions representing tenure/tenure-track and instructors’ bargaining units.
Additional responsibilities include administering agreements, conducting labor-management meetings, fostering effective relationships with union representatives and processing grievances.
Collaboration and making sure all parties are informed on labor matters are priorities for DeThorne. Serving as assistant state’s attorney in Champaign County, Illinois earlier in his career gave him valuable experience in this area, prior to his time in higher education.
“That was a workplace with many bargaining units, which became one of my areas of responsibility. I was intrigued by it and enjoyed it,” said DeThorne. “I love working in a university environment because there are so many brilliant people, and I look forward to meeting and working with the faculty here at NIU.”
Working for NIU is a homecoming of sorts for DeThorne. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, DeThorne enrolled in NIU’s College of Law and graduated with a juris doctor in 1997.
“I have fond memories of my time at NIU. I preferred law school over my undergraduate experience and give credit to NIU for that. The faculty were approachable, and I really liked my time here. It was a good fit for me, and I am glad to be back,” said DeThorne.
Furthermore, many of DeThorne’s family members live in the Chicagoland area, including his son and father-in-law, and DeThorne is looking forward to being closer to them.
DeThorne begins his role as NIU’s director of Academic and Labor Relations Monday, Feb. 12.
