NIU Today

NIU’s Broadband Development Group (BDG) has moved from the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development to the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). Since 2007, the BDG and DoIT have worked closely to develop broadband networks for community anchor institutions like libraries, schools, public safety agencies, community colleges, and municipal governments throughout northern Illinois. The...

Eric Haan believes in iFiber and the benefits made possible by the high-speed fiber broadband network, not just for his rural school district but for the entire northwest Illinois region. “The truth is, for as many uses as I can name now for the iFiber network, there are so many more we haven’t even thought...

Just weeks after receiving formal designation as an “Innovation and Economic Prosperity University,” NIU has received one of the nation’s top awards for regional economic development. The Association for Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) on Tuesday announced NIU as the winner of APLU’s inaugural “Place” award for “excelling in community, social, and cultural development work.”...

Northern Illinois University is among the inaugural 16 institutions nationwide designated as an “Innovation and Economic Prosperity University” by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). The designation, announced last week, acknowledges universities working with public and private sector partners in their states and regions to support economic development through innovation and entrepreneurship, technology...

Building on the success of its first regional conference on broadband and economic development held last November in Danville, Va., Broadband Communities will host its second regional conference from Tuesday, Nov. 5, through Thursday, Nov. 7, in Tinley Park. The conference will focus on the extraordinary experiences of dozens of communities in America’s Midwestern heartland,...

Northwestern Illinois’ technological and financial future received another boost Monday as educators and state and local officials broke ground for the Lee County leg of the iFiber project at Sauk Valley Community College. Under sunshine and promises of jobs for generations, leaders such as Illinois State Sen. Christine Johnson (R-Shabbona) heralded the project, partnered with...

Two additional contractors have been selected for the northwest Illinois project designed to bring a reliable high-speed broadband network to a nine-county region. Illinois Fiber Resources Group (iFiber), an Illinois not-for-profit organization, has selected Aldridge Electric, which partnered with Kelso-Burnett to provide a joint proposal to build the network throughout Boone, LaSalle, Ogle, Stephenson and...

Northern Illinois University president, John G. Peters addressed several key components of a recently released report on NIU's economic impact on the region during a radio interview with WNIJ-FM.

A report released today by Northern Illinois University demonstrates that the university is a powerful force for economic and societal good in DeKalb County and beyond. “We have been part of the landscape for more than a century, so it is easy to forget what an impact we have on the community. It is important...

A new online library for NIU’s scholarly materials and products, the Huskie Commons Digital Repository, is being developed by the University Libraries and Information Technology Services (ITS). Once completed, this repository will “provide a long-term secure digital space where faculty and staff can place their publications, data sets and other research materials,” said Patrick Dawson,...