NIU Today

NIU President John Peters joined other university presidents and chancellors from around the state Thursday in signing a letter sent to Gov. Pat Quinn that outlines their objections to proposed changes in the state pension system. “Senate Bill 512, backed by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, is but one approach. As...

State Rep. Bob Pritchard vowed Thursday that he would not support a proposed pension reform bill that could come up for a vote as early as next week. “I will be a no vote on SB 512, and I will urge my colleagues to also vote no,” said Pritchard (R-Hinckley), whose district includes DeKalb. His...

In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly convened for the first week of the fall veto session, which began Oct. 25. It was a tough week for Gov. Pat Quinn, with the General Assembly taking the following actions: Collective bargaining House Speaker Michael Madigan introduced HJR 45, which seeks to involve the General Assembly in...

NIU’s Operating Staff Council will host State Rep. Robert Pritchard at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. The Republican legislator from Hinckley will gather with the group in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center to address issues related to the ongoing debate in Springfield regarding pension reform. This meeting was previously scheduled for the...

[stream provider=rtmp flv=MAP.f4v embed=false share=false width=480 height=360 dock=false controlbar=bottom skin=five.zip bandwidth=high autostart=false streamer=rtmp://live.media.niu.edu/HD/MAP.f4v /]   Sixty-five NIU students rolled into Springfield on two buses Wednesday morning to protest potential cuts to the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP) and address other issues impacting higher education. For many of the students, the MAP grant is a matter...

A number of bills were introduced within the last two weeks related to pension reform, primarily in response to recent stories by the Chicago Tribune and Fox News. These bills are intended to close “loopholes” that have allowed the type of lucrative pension benefits that have been highlighted by the media. With the fall veto...

Northern Illinois University has launched yourpension.niu.edu, a website designed specifically to help employees stay informed on the debate in Springfield regarding employee pensions. “There are few issues with potentially greater consequences, and we want to ensure that employees, annuitants and others have easy access to the most up-to-date information and resources to help them understand...

NIU President John G. Peters emailed NIU faculty and staff Tuesday, Oct. 25, regarding the fall veto session in Springfield and Senate Bill 512. Dear Colleagues, Over the next several weeks during the Veto Session, legislators are expected to take action on Senate Bill 512, which would impose significant changes in the way that pensions...

Nora Lindvall, recently named as NIU’s Student Lincoln Laureate, has had a spectacular college career, to be sure. She is a stellar student with two majors, who speaks five languages and interned this past summer with the vice president of the European Parliament. But Lindvall says her impressive college career would not have been possible...

In Springfield … The first week of the Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session begins Tuesday, Oct. 25, and will run through Thursday, Oct. 27. It promises to be an interesting week, with many issues on the table. The House of Representatives Personnel and Pensions Committee has posted five pension reform bills for hearing –...

NIU’s Student Association will host a March on Springfield Lobby Day. Marchers will protest cuts to funding of MAP grants and other areas impacting NIU, including faculty and staff pensions and the university’s operating budget. Transportation to and from the event will be provided by the Student Association; the Student Association has requested faculty are...

In Washington, D.C. … Last week, the Senate rejected, by a vote of 50-49, President Obama’s jobs bill and the Senate Democrats are now working with the president to disassemble the $447 billion package into smaller bills that will deal with specific elements contained in the jobs bill. The Democrats will try to force the...