Hall of Fame
With a generous gift to create and develop the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center, the couple have made a profound impact on NIU Athletics. Their gift was the largest ever made to NIU Athletics.
Kenneth Craig Chessick, MD, JD, and Ellen Marie Chessick established the Kenneth C. Chessick Legal Training Skills Center at the NIU College of Law in 2002, created the annual Kenneth Chessick Civil Justice Scholarship Program, and the Restaurant.com Professorship of Interactive Marketing in the NIU College of Business, and created the dedicated film viewing room in the Yordon Center.
A 1984 graduate of the NIU College of Law, Dr. Chessick is a trial lawyer representing catastrophically injured victims of medical negligence and a board certified general surgeon. Dr. Chessick served on the NIU Foundation Board of Directors for twenty years. In 2001, Dr. Chessick was honored as the NIU Alumnus of the Year, and in 2012, he was recognized with the NIU Law Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to being a past Chairman, Dr. Chessick has continued to serve as a member of the NIU College of Law Board of Visitors since 2002. In 2013, Ellen Chessick, who earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and a master’s degree from DePaul University, was honored with the NIU Law Honorary Alumna Award.
