NIU Today

In Springfield … Fall Veto Session begins Tuesday, Oct. 25, and we are seeing public statements by various elected officials on items they hope will be addressed during the six days of this session. Gov. Pat Quinn, who used his amendatory veto on House Bill 1353, is hoping that the General Assembly will not override...

With the Illinois General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session less than a month away, look for the issue of state employee pension plans to start creeping back into the headlines, says Steve Cunningham, NIU vice president for Administration and Human Resources. The topic dominated much of the discussion at the end of the spring legislative session,...

NIU’s Division of University Relations launched a new website today to monitor and report activity in Springfield related to performance-based budgeting. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2013, the Illinois Board of Higher Education budget recommendations to governor and the General Assembly will include allocations to public institutions of higher education based on performance metrics. The IBHE’s...

In Springfield … An arbitrator today issued a ruling stating that Gov. Pat Quinn’s recent announcement that he intended to close seven state-run facilities and layoff more than 1,900 state workers by the end of the year violates a collective bargaining agreement between the governor and the AFSCME union. This is the same arbitrator who...

NIU students who receive Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant funding are being warned that reductions are likely for the spring semester. The current situation is reminiscent of the 2010-11 academic year, when limited state funding and high application volume made it necessary to lower second- and third-term awards. More than 6,200 NIU students – more...

In Washington, D.C. … Activities in Washington over the past week bring to mind a quote from that great sage, Yogi Berra: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Once again, Congress found itself at a critical juncture to approve a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would allow the federal government to operate Saturday, Oct. 1, the...

In Washington, D.C. … All eyes in Washington are focused on the activities of the Deficit Reduction Super Committee, which is under a very tight deadline to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in spending cuts before Thanksgiving or face mandatory reductions in all areas of federal spending. President Obama and House Speaker John...

In Springfield … Gov. Pat Quinn held a press conference Thursday, Sept. 8, to discuss his Fiscal Year 2012 budget management strategy. Quinn contends that the FY2012 budget approved by the General Assembly has a shortfall of approximately $313.5 million in operations and personnel across all state agencies, with the most severe deficiencies at the...

Jonathan Kite, a senior communications major at Northern Illinois University, has been elected executive chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Student Advisory Committee for the 2011-12 academic year. Nora Lindvall, also an NIU student, was elected to serve as SAC’s executive secretary. Lindvall is a senior pursuing a double major in English and...

In Springfield … The latest rumors in Springfield surround Gov. Quinn signaling his intention to issue layoff notices to thousands of state employees and closing several state facilities, including a prison, juvenile detention center and homes for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. While no specifics are being released by the governor’s office at this...

An outstanding undergraduate senior from each of the four-year, degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is chosen each year to receive the Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award. Members of the University Scholarships Committee are seeking assistance from faculty and staff to identify NIU’s winner for 2011-12, the 36th year students have been recognized by...

In Springfield … Gov. Pat Quinn today signed Senate Bill 2185, known as the Illinois DREAM Act (now Public Act 97-0233). This act is intended to make college more affordable for undocumented immigrants. It allows anyone with a Social Security number to enroll in a state-administered college savings program. It also establishes an Illinois DREAM Fund Commission...