President’s R e p o R t2012

QuickF a c t s

Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, status based on the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran. Further, the Constitution and Bylaws of Northern Illinois University provides for equal treatment regardless of political views or affiliation, and sexual orientation.

Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. www.niu.edu

Designed and produced by the NIU Offices of Publications, Media and Public Relations and printed by NIU Document Services.

D060 2M 2/12

NIU at a Glance (December, 2011)

Date Chartered 1895Location DeKalb, Illinois (Pop. 45,750) 65 miles west of Chicago

DeKalb Campus 756 acres 64 major buildings

total enrollment 22,990

Undergraduate 17,306

Graduate 5,365

Law 319

Student Body 91% from Illinois 49% men, 51% women 30% ethnic minorities

Colleges Business Education Engineering and Engineering Technology Health and Human Sciences Law Liberal Arts and Sciences Visual and Performing Arts

Degrees offered (25)Au.D., B.A., B.F.A., B.G.S., B.M.,B.S., B.S.Ed., D.P.T., Ed.D., Ed.S., J.D., M.A., M.A.S., M.A.T., M.B.A., M.F.A., M.M., M.P.A., M.P.H., M.P.T., M.S., M.S.Ed., M.S.T., M.S.T., Ph.D.

Undergraduate Majors 65 Minors 69 Emphases 73 Preprofessional Programs 10

Graduate Programs 78 Areas of Study 110

National Athletic Affiliation NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference

Libraries System Founders Memorial Library 6 branch libraries 2 million books 6,000 electronic journals

Faculty/Staff 3,813

Alumni of Record 225,000

3

President’sM e s s a g e

The Vision 2020 Initiative will

take us on a journey that will

define our institution for decades

to come. It will require all of us to

join together, to work together, to

move forward together…to help

this great institution emerge even

stronger in the years ahead.

We are in the midst of an era that presents us with a tremendous opportunity to take destiny into our own hands. Our aim is to ensure that we become the most student-centered public research

university in the Midwest—an institution that is successful, adaptable and sustainable in all aspects.

For this reason, the 2011 President’s Report includes a series of stories that provide a glimpse of our future—stories that highlight experiences that foster creativity and intensify learning. These experiences open students’ eyes to unimagined possibilities and help them achieve goals that they never dreamed possible. They are the very experiences that make NIU exceptional.

Experiences like those chronicled here provide the foundation for our Vision 2020 Initiative. This bold plan positions NIU to compete and succeed in the higher education landscape over the next decade and beyond. It leverages, expands and enhances what are already NIU hallmarks—academic excellence and engaged-learning opportunities.

As we ingrain these opportunities into the NIU experience and make them available to even more students, private support is more important than ever. This support is key in transforming our academic landscape by providing merit-based scholarships for deserving students and supporting our faculty, academic programs, athletic programs and university libraries.

The new NIU emerging out of Vision 2020 includes world-class facilities that promote learning and attract outstanding students and faculty. It includes new and revitalized campus housing, state-of-the art classrooms and lecture halls, access to the latest technology, and a commitment to improving student life.

As we continue upon this course and meet its associated benchmarks, we are committed to a sustainable model focused on a traditional, on-campus college experience while increasing opportunities for engagement of both traditional and non-traditional students.

NIU is a university focused on the future.

John G. PetersPresident

Board of trustees as of December 31, 2011Cherilyn Murer, ChairRobert Boey, Vice ChairRobert T. Marshall, Jr., SecretaryJohn R. ButlerWheeler G. ColemanAnthony A. IoscoMarc Strauss Jaemin Robertson, Student TrusteePresident John G. Peters, ex-officio memberJerry D. Blakemore, General Counsel and Parliamentarian president’s Cabinet:John G. Peters, President

Raymond W. Alden III, Provost and Executive Vice President

Eddie R. Williams, Executive Vice President, Business and Finance and Chief of Operations

Jerry Blakemore, Vice President and General Counsel

Kathy Buettner, Vice President, University Relations

C. Jeffrey Compher, Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics

Steve Cunningham, Vice President, Human Resources and Compliance

Lisa Freeman, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

Brian O. Hemphill, Vice President, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Anne C. Kaplan, Vice President, Administration and University Outreach

Michael P. Malone, Vice President, University Advancement

Bill Nicklas, Associate Vice President of Institutional Planning and Sustainability

5

Learning Today A c a d e m i c e x c e l l e n c e

Research Rookies

Seeking cures for cancer, shedding new light on human anatomy and designing tools to peer deep into the subatomic world are not things

often associated with undergraduate education, but for NIU’s inaugural class of Research Rookies, such experiences were the highlight of their freshman year.

The program, launched in the 2010-11 academic year, pairs talented underclassmen with faculty mentors and allows them to participate in research and the creation of new knowledge early in their collegiate careers. Some students worked on self-designed research projects while others became part of existing research teams. Either way, they developed new skills and created networks of mentors that most students might not create until graduate school – if ever.

Thanks to a generous gift from Jaymie and Harry Simmon, several research rookies now carry the distinction of being “Simmons Scholars.”

Creating those types of unique opportunities for engaged learning is one way that NIU is making itself an increasingly popular destination for top high school graduates. It also highlights the university’s commitment to making engaged learning an integral part of the educational experience of every NIU student.

“We want every student enrolled at NIU to participate in some form of enriched learning,” says NIU President John Peters. “Programs like Research Rookies dramatically enhance learning and increase the value of the degrees our students earn. It will help them – and NIU – to stand out in a crowd.”

Themed Learning Communities

The best learning happens when students start to see how information relates not just to the lecture they are listening to, but also to what they might learn in a completely unrelated class.

The development of Themed Learning Communities at NIU is providing students with opportunities to learn in deeper, more significant ways by allowing them to examine a common theme across disciplines such as the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

For instance, in the fall of 2011, a cohort of engineering students enrolled in a TLC that helped them better link lessons learned in calculus with practical applications in physics. They also got a chance to travel to Argonne National Laboratory to meet engineers who put those lessons to work every day.

Across campus, a group of art majors examined how war has influenced the work of playwrights, painters and composers across the centuries. They explored those themes in rhetoric and speech classes, and in the process learned about their own

attitudes toward war.

Students connected learning across courses in collaborative and active ways, developing relationships with peers and faculty that will benefit them throughout their time on campus.

NIU currently has 15 TLC programs with more under development. Such innovative approaches are increasingly making NIU the university of choice for a college experience that goes beyond textbooks and lectures.

Students connected learning across courses in collaborative and active ways, developing relationships with peers and faculty that will benefit them throughout their time on campus.

7

Did you know?As of the fall of 2011, nearly 1,100 students were

enrolled in the NIU Honors Program, an increase

of 19 percent over the previous year. Growing the

number of NIU students who graduate with honors

is one of the aims of NIU’s Vision 2020 Initiative.

Increasing our commitment to scholars and scholarships

NIU’s commitment to attracting top high school scholars is reflected in our increased commit-

ment to merit scholarships.

Over the past year, in the midst of some of the most challenging financial times in university history, NIU created five new scholarships aimed at bringing even more bright, promising students to campus.

In the fall of 2011, nearly 1,700 new students enrolled with an NIU merit-based scholarship – an increase of 35 percent from the year prior. For many of these students, the scholarship was the deciding factor in choosing NIU.

As part of efforts to reach its Vision 2020 goals NIU will increase those efforts, with a goal of doubling the amount of merit-based scholarships offered annually to $10 million a year. Through the NIU Foundation, donors are supporting the cause as well. In fiscal year 2011, they pro-vided more than 1,000 scholarship awards to NIU’s hard-working and talented students.

Five Northern Illinois University students who excel in and out of the classroom were selected as recipients of the 2011 Forward, Together Forward Scholarships.The recipients – Kelsey Borg, Mayra Diaz, Jasmine Land, Justin Larsen and Reneka Turner – each received a one-time scholarship of $4,000 for the 2011-12 academic year.

Learning from the best in the business

In the spring of 2011, NIU students Adam Turchioe and Phillip Jagielo were on cloud nine.

The meteorology students had landed internships with arguably the most respected weatherman in the business: Tom Skilling of WGN-TV and Chicago Tribune fame.

“I was star struck at first,” Turchioe says. “I’ve been watching him since I was 10 years old. But Tom is an extremely nice man, and you quickly get down to work.”

For four months, Turchioe and Jagielo worked behind the scenes with Skilling as he tracked hailstorms, windstorms, driving rain and one of the worst blizzards in Chicago history. The NIU interns did fact checking, map making and climate research for Skilling, who shared with them his more than three decades of forecast-ing experience.

NIU students have interned with Skilling for the past dozen years or so, thanks to Geography Professor David Changnon, who first established NIU’s link with WGN-TV.

NIU also boasts one of the largest undergraduate-only meteorology programs in North America. At any one time, about 100 students are enrolled, and about half tackle internships, making the program an excellent example of how NIU is dedi-cated to taking advantage of its location near one of the nation’s largest cities.

9

Making a difference in the world

In the fall of 2011, NIU launched two new bachelor degree programs, both of which appeal to students who seek careers that will make a difference in the world around them.

The interdisciplinary majors—one in environmental studies and the other in community leadership and civic engagement—play to NIU faculty strengths and aim to produce graduates in areas of expanding societal need.

“The new majors grew out of NIU strategic planning efforts and represent areas of study where there is high student interest and emerging employer needs, both within our region and nationwide,” says Christopher McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “NIU also has a particular wealth of faculty expertise in these areas.”

NIU’s Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy oversees the environmental studies major and fosters both student and faculty research.

The major provides students with broad-based knowledge of key 21st century environmental issues, such as climate change, environmental policy, water conservation and development of alternative energies. Program graduates will be prepared to meet environmental and energy challenges via careers in industry, small business, academic research, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and federal, state and local governments.

NIU’s Center for NGO Leadership and Development, or NGOLD, oversees the community leadership and civic engagement (CLCE) major—one of the few of its kind nationwide—and also facilitates student and faculty research.

The CLCE program provides training to students who will lead, work for and collaborate with NGOs, also known as nonprofit organizations. Within the major, emphases will be offered in advocacy, enterprise, the environment, global engagement and the arts and humanities.

“This effort by NIU and

Lextech will prepare

students to be immediate

workplace contributors

and fill a substantial

workforce void.”

Creating an app for that

NIU’s Department of Computer Science is partnering with Lextech Global Services to offer courses that will teach students how to write apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and other mobile-device platforms.

The five-course program—with one course devoted to each of the three smartphone platforms and two comprehensive courses that will cut across all devices—will be offered to undergraduates and graduate students and lead to an NIU certificate in mobile-device programming.

While the certificate program is expected to officially launch in the fall 2012, courses in app programming for smartphones already have begun. Students are gaining skills in one of the hottest new areas of computer programming.

NIU partnered with Lextech because of its specialized expertise. Based in Lisle, Ill., Lextech is a mobile apps firm that helps clients with mobile strategy, visual app definition and development of apps across mobile platforms.

“This is an innovative partnership, both in content and in form, with Lextech donating staff time to train our faculty members so they can deliver the courses,” says Christopher McCord, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“Among skilled mobile apps developers, there’s virtually zero unemployment because they are in such high demand,” adds Lextech President and CEO Alex Bratton. “This effort by NIU and Lextech will prepare students to be immediate workplace contributors and fill a substantial workforce void.”

10

Leading Tomorrow

STEMfest: ‘Everything is cool’Local families, university students, faculty, staff, and students from as far away as Rockford and Springfield converged on NIU’s Convocation Center for the second year of STEMfest.

The annual event presented by NIU STEM Outreach helps K-12 students and their parents have fun while learning more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Just how big was STEMfest?

• Four thousand participants

• More than 400 NIU student volunteers

• Fifty percent more activities and exhibits than in 2010

• Two hundred dissected cow eyeballs

• Forty NIU departments and student groups from five colleges

• Fourteen regional exhibitors

• Nineteen multicolored lasers in the Laser Lunacy Lab

• Eight robots from FIRST Robotics teams

NIU STEM Outreach offers educational community programs year-round, such as school science assemblies, the SF Teen Read, Summer Under the Stars and professional development workshops for teachers.

C o m m u n i t y

Facultye x c e l l e n c e

Pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge

You could call it a brilliant mistake. A research group led by NIU Chemistry Professor Narayan Hosmane set out to produce single-

wall carbon nanotubes by burning pure magnesium metal in dry ice.

The relatively simple experiment of burning the element in dry ice produces a black powder-like substance. NIU scientists suspected the substance might include carbon nanotubes for use in their federally funded cancer research. However, when they analyzed the black powder, they discovered something entirely different and much more astonishing: graphene.

Graphene has been dubbed the “miracle material.” It is two-dimensional, comprised of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is the strongest material ever measured. It also has other remarkable qualities, including high electron mobility, a property that elevates its potential for use in high-speed, nano-scale devices of the future.

News of the discovery made international headlines because, up until now, making graphene has required utilizing hazardous methods and tedious techniques. The new method is simple, green and cost-effective.

“The best science is when you discover what you least expect,” Hosmane says.

Making a splash with Antarctic research

They haven’t put NIU’s new 28-foot-long, 2,200-pound robotic submarine in the water yet, but geologists Ross Powell and Reed Scherer have already made a big splash.

The one-of-a-kind submarine, which will be used to explore melting near the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, was a big hit when it was unveiled in late 2010 at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, attended by nearly 20,000 scientists, students and members of the media. The San Francisco Chronicle even featured the submarine on its front page.

The vehicle is equipped with five cameras, a water sampler, sediment corer, numerous sensors, a laser-beam for measuring objects, a robotic arm with “fingers” for gathering samples and many other instruments.

Powell, Scherer and a team of researchers from other institutions will drill through more than a half mile of ice and lower the submarine—which can collapse to a width of just 22 inches in diameter—through a 30-inch-wide ice borehole into the ocean water beneath the Ross Ice Shelf adjacent to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Once beneath the ice and in the water, the submarine unfolds for deployment. It will allow scientists for the first time ever to observe melting and other conditions at the interface between seawater and the base of the glacial ice.

“We’ll be investigating some of the last unexplored aquatic environments on the planet,” Powell says.

13

Teaching ethics across the curriculum

The BELIEF (Building Ethical Leaders Through an Integrated Ethics Framework) Initiative in the NIU College of Business integrates ethics into every course in the college’s curriculum.

At its core is a seven-step decision making process, which is printed on a wallet-sized card that students are encouraged to keep with them so that they can apply the process as questions arise. Faculty from accounting, to marketing to management and every other department of the college use the process to engage students in discussions of business ethics.

“One reason that the program is so successful is that faculty throughout the college have embraced it and made it part and parcel of what we teach,” says William McCoy, director of the BELIEF Initiative for the college.

The BELIEF Initiative has been singled out as a model program by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and is endorsed by corporations like Microsoft, KPMG and Caterpillar. In 2011, a two-student team used the tenets of the BELIEF Initiative to help them place second in an international ethics business case competition.

Mentors making a differenceProfessors aren’t the only ones who teach.

The NIU College of Law saw evidence of that last year when it launched a mentoring program to help guide first-year students through the often confusing maze that confronts new law students. The program was voluntary, but more than 90 percent of students jumped at the chance for some additional guidance.

Mentors, drawn from the ranks of alumni and local bar associations, offered advice on classes to take, how to prepare for finals and extracurricular activities to pursue. And students listened – attentively.

“We often offer the exact same advice, but it is just more powerful coming from actual practicing lawyers,” says Greg Anderson, director of career opportunities for the College of Law.

The program was a hit with both mentors and students. Almost every mentor was willing to return, and many students maintained contact with their mentors as they embarked on their second year of law school.

14

$0

$20m

$40m

$60m

$80m

$100m

Research grants on the rise

Facilitye x c e l l e n c e

The Cole Hall renovation was completed in December 2011 and the building reopened for the Spring 2012 semester.

Building responsiblyNIU will not incur any of the construction cost for its

new residence hall, which opens in 2012. Instead,

Collegiate Housing Foundation has contracted with a

private developer for the construction and financing of the

project. When complete, the building will be leased to and

managed by NIU.

Did you know?Washing machines on campus

can send text messages to

students to alert them that their

laundry is finished!ResidentialR e n a i s s a n c e

What’s new is cutting edge…Construction began this year on NIU’s first new undergraduate residence hall in

more than four decades.

The 1,000-bed facility will be subdivided into “clusters”, each housing 12 students. Each cluster will feature a common space that incorporates a furnished study area, living area, kitchenette and laundry room. To enhance student privacy, each pod will have 12 single bedrooms and six shared bathrooms.

The building’s community center will feature an “all-you-care-to-eat” style dining facility, offering a variety of food options; a social lounge with a gaming area where students can socialize with fellow residents or community visitors; a fitness center equipped with modern workout equipment; and meeting spaces.

The new complex will boast air-conditioning and wireless Internet throughout the two five-story buildings.

Outdoor amenities will include a sand volleyball court, a basketball half-court and beanbag courts grouped together with picnic tables. Patios, benches, green spaces and 380 spaces for bicycle parking all will sit adjacent to each of the residential buildings.

What’s old is new…

Today’s college students say they want greater personal privacy. At the same time, they’re also hungry for more opportunities to interact with their neigh-

bors.

NIU is accommodating both of these seemingly contradictory requests through the creation of a 21st century “living-learning community.”

This fall, Grant Tower C re-opened as a completely modern space featuring larger rooms, more single-occupancy rooms, individualized temperature controls, move-able furniture, flat-panel TVs in the student lounges and modernized bathrooms with increased privacy.

Advanced security measures include: Personalized proximity cards are issued to students for for residence hall elevators and room access.

Grant Tower D is undergoing a similar transformation and will reopen by fall 2013.

Across campus, work has begun to reopen Gilbert Hall as a student residence. The facility will retain its stately comfort, but all mechanical systems will be completely updated, bathrooms will be modernized and the latest technology will be incorpo-rated throughout. The building will re-open in 2013.

Intramural Sports Complex

Preliminary work began this year for an Intramural Sports Complex scheduled to open by fall 2012.

That’s good news for the 93 percent of NIU students who indicated in surveys that such improvements to outdoor recreation areas will encourage them to participate in more activities.

Planned facilities at the complex include two softball/baseball fields, two football/rugby fields and two soccer/lacrosse fields, some of which might have artificial turf.

The lighted complex also might include tournament-quality sand volleyball courts, bathrooms, a concession stand, spectator seating, scoreboards and equipment storage.

The project is one of several funded by the sale of Build America Bonds, approved in October 2010 by the NIU Board of Trustees.

Campus beautification

Everywhere you looked in the summer and fall of 2011 you could see Huskie Pride at Work – an all-campus beautification program aimed at rejuvenating

NIU building and grounds.

Teams fanned out across campus and identified dozens of high-impact projects that could be completed at relatively low costs.

Work included:

• Landscape Improvements – damaged and worn sod was replaced; weeds were treated; dead trees and stumps were removed; flower beds and planters were replanted.

• Streetscape – broken sidewalks and curbs were torn out and repaired; worn-out planters, benches and ashtrays were replaced.

• Buildings – bricks and mortar were washed and painted as needed; stonework and tuck-pointing repairs were made.

Similar work, and larger projects, will be conducted every year going forward to ensure that the NIU campus continues to meet and exceed the current and anticipated future needs of its students, faculty and staff.

17

Robotic cameras installed Two high definition robotic cameras at Huskie Stadium were installed in 2011, eliminating the hazardous use of aerial lifts and platforms for filming football practices.

Aerial lifts have been used on college campuses to provide video support to coaches since the early 1990s. The death of a student at the University of Notre Dame in 2010 highlighted the dangers inherent in that practice, and NIU set about finding a safer way to do the job.

Technology

Working with Huskie football staff, NIU Media Services installed robotic cameras in each end zone fall 2011. So far, the coaches love the results: more angles, tighter shots and video of practices when bad weather would otherwise mean no filming.

Did you know? Wireless computing across campus dramatically improved in 2011. Information Technology Services worked with Verizon Wireless to install more than 150 wireless access points, bringing the total number of campus access points to about 450. At the same time, the cost of providing that service to departments and colleges decreased by 24 percent.

Internet 2 Twice as good for NIU musicians

The beautiful sounds created by NIU’s School of Music ring not only across campus but in all 50 states and on six of the world’s continents, thanks to Internet 2.

Internet 2 provides such a high-speed connectivity that musicians who stand in front of video cameras, microphones and computer monitors inside the NIU Music Building can perform in real-time for, and with, artists around the globe.

Far-away families and friends of NIU musicians can hear and watch their concerts live; the parents of Lucia Matos, director of the NIU Philharmonic, saw her conduct for the first time when they visited their son’s apartment in Brazil to view the event online.

As an international leader in the creative use of Internet 2, NIU musicians often are pressed into service to demonstrate the amaz-ing capabilities of the technology and the ways in which the School of Music has harnessed it.

NIU gave the first-ever U.S. demonstration of LOLA (LOw LAtency audio visual streaming system) in October 2011 for the Internet2 mem-bership meeting in Raleigh, N.C. Demonstrated only twice before—at conferences in Europe, by the developers operating the equipment at both ends—NIU became the first outside institution in the world to be provided the software.

Young violinist Katelyn Kozinski got her oppor-tunity on a Wednesday morning in June 2011, when she played Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 3 (“Ballade”) from Op. 27 for an audience in Bar-celona, Spain.

Chief among those spectators were Ann Doyle, director of arts and humanities initiatives for Internet 2, and Manel Porta, professor of violin at the Conservatorio Superio de Música del Liceu.

When Kozinski finished playing, having taken listeners on a ride that began slowly and ended with flurries up and down the scales, applause greeted her from both her face-to-face audience on campus and the one seated on the other side of the world.

“Bravo! Well done!” exclaimed Porta, who then gave his never-before-seen student a “private” lesson. “You’re a great player!”

Technology Oasis

When founders of the NIU College of Education’s Technology Oasis, located in the Gabel Hall Learning Center, saw a need to provide students, faculty and staff with tech support for electronic portable

devices, they did not wonder long whether their creation would prove successful.

In its first few months of operation more than 300 faculty members, students and staff members have walked through its doors asking for help with their iPads, iPods, laptops, smart phones and a long list of class projects.

Visitors have sought help on everything from how to activate their devices to how to enhance images with Photoshop.

Oasis staff members also present one-hour daytime workshops on topics such as “Creating Collages with Picasa,” “Creating Inspirational iMovies” and “iPad Basics.”

“We’ve created a warm, inviting space,” says Steve Builta, information systems manager for NIU’s College of Education. “Our goal was to design this room so people feel comfortable learning the capabilities of the technology that surrounds them.”

19

Sustainability

*Unaudited financial information

Northern Illinois University’s financial position remained strong at June 30, 2011 in spite of state reductions in general

revenue appropriations and increased costs of health care. Changes in net assets represent the operating activity of the university, which results from revenues, expenses, gains and losses, and are summarized for the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 as follows*:

21

Expenses By FunctionInstruction 24.6%

Sta� Bene�ts 20.1%

Auxiliary Enterprises 15.8%

Institutional Support 6.7%

Academic Support 5.9%

Operation of Plant 5.3%

Public Service 5.2%

Student Aid 5.0%

Research 3.2%

Depreciation 3.0%

Student Services 2.6%

Interest Expense 2.6%

RevenuesState Appropriations 36.6%

Tuition & Fees 26.6%

Auxiliary Enterprises 18.5%

Grants & Contracts 7.9%

Pell Grants 5.8%

Other Income 4.4%

Gi�s & Investment Income 0.2%

Strong financial performance despite difficult economic times

Expenses By FunctionInstruction 24.6%

Sta� Bene�ts 20.1%

Auxiliary Enterprises 15.8%

Institutional Support 6.7%

Academic Support 5.9%

Operation of Plant 5.3%

Public Service 5.2%

Student Aid 5.0%

Research 3.2%

Depreciation 3.0%

Student Services 2.6%

Interest Expense 2.6%

RevenuesState Appropriations 36.6%

Tuition & Fees 26.6%

Auxiliary Enterprises 18.5%

Grants & Contracts 7.9%

Pell Grants 5.8%

Other Income 4.4%

Gi�s & Investment Income 0.2%

2010 2011

Total revenues $534,540 $540,854

Total expenses 502,114 525,077

Increase in net assets $ 32,426 15,777

(in thousands)

Brand New

Following an extensive campus marketing and

branding initiative, a new university logo was

developed to convey a unified and consistent

visual identity for NIU. The new logo works

hand-in-hand with the tagline, “Learning

Today, Leading Tomorrow,” introduced in

December 2010.

More than 100 logo concepts were created

by campus designers with the top 25

submitted to the NIU Marketing and Branding

Committee for further consideration. The

services of an external design consultant were

also engaged to bring additional perspective

to the process. The final selection was made

this summer after the NIU community was

invited to comment on the final two designs

through an online survey.

The new logo illustrates a prevailing guideline

that emerged during the development process:

the graphic element should feature NIU’s

signature campus building, Altgeld Hall. It

also coordinates with the very popular NIU

Huskie Athletics logo.

The new “castle” logo replaces the previous

official logo (created for NIU’s centennial in

1995) as well as the NIU wordmark and will

not affect the existing Huskie Athletics logo or

the University Seal.

Soldier Field Showdown II

An important element in NIU’s brand campaign involved the Huskie football team’s return to Soldier Field to face Wisconsin on September 17, which was declared NIU Day in the City of Chicago by Alderman Bob

Fioretti, J.D. ’78. Thousands of NIU alumni and friends enjoyed cheering on their team in the Windy City as Soldier Field was adorned in cardinal and black, and new banners featuring NIU’s new logo marks were prominently displayed . A roof-top reception in Millennium Park attended by both universities’ fans, administra-tors, and marching bands was a highlight of Soldier Field weekend.

A special giftAt the game, Northern Illinois University supporters Dr. Kenneth and Ellen Ches-sick announced a $3 million gift to Huskie Athletics to name the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Facility, continuing their long legacy of support for the university. The gift is the largest ever made to Northern Illinois athletics and the second-largest gift ever given to the university.

The facility, which will be located adjacent to the Yordon Center, will include a full artificial turf football field with a four-lane sprint track, and a white roof for cooling and a retractable center net to allow multi-sport use. Construction of the 83,500-square-foot facility will only begin once the $9.5 million campaign goal is reached and should take 12 to 14 months to complete once construction starts.

23

Huskie football claims first MAC championship since 1983The 2011 Northern Illinois Huskies were determined to rewrite the script. In its two previous MAC Championship games at Ford Field in Detroit, in 2005 and 2010, NIU had lost in heartbreaking, last-minute fashion, to the University of Akron and Miami University, respectively.So it was only fitting that the 2011 team not only rewrote the script, they flipped it when sophomore kicker Mathew Sims made a 33-yard field goal with no time on the clock to defeat Ohio, 23-20, capping a comeback that saw the Huskies score 23 straight points en route to their first MAC championship in 28 years.The Huskies trailed Ohio 20-0 after a disastrous first half that saw NIU commit three turnovers and get fooled on a reverse pass for a score. League MVP Chandler Harnish was limited to just 13 rushing and 35 passing yards.Senior wide receiver Nathan Palmer, who a year earlier laid on the ground in the corner of the end zone in tears and disbelief, found himself shedding tears of joy amid the celebration. Palmer caught four passes for 115 yards, including two huge second-half touchdowns, to earn the game’s MVP honors.Northern Illinois capped its magical season with a 38-20 win over Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

Hoffman, McGlaughlin named Academic All-Americans; five Huskies earn academic all-MAC honors

Northern Illinois volleyball seniors Kristin Hoffman and Allison McGlaughlin were named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The two were the first teammates

in NIU and Mid-American Conference history to earn Academic All-America® status in the same season, and were the only Division I teammates in the NCAA on the list. Hoffman, who was the program’s first-ever Academic All-America® selection in 2010, improved from a Third Team selection to a First Team selection in 2011. McGlaughlin received a Third Team nod.

Hoffman and McGlaughlin, along with sophomore Lauren Wicinski made the 18-person Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team. Junior Mary Kurisch and sophomore Justine Schepler earned honorable mention Academic All-MAC recognition.

“With all the wonderful and positive things that our team was able to achieve in 2011, I feel that this honor shows the true meaning of our team and how committed they have been, not only on the court, but more importantly in the classroom,” says NIU Head Coach Ray Gooden. “Our team takes a lot of pride in their academic success within the department, conference and nation.”

Champions on the field...and in the classroom➣ NIU Volleyball: 2011 MAC West champion, 2011 regular season champion, NCAA at-large berth

➣ NIU Men’s Soccer: 2011 MAC Tournament champion, NCAA second round

➣ NIU Football: 2011 MAC West champion, 2011 MAC champion, 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl champion

25

Did you know?Northern Illinois University’s on-line graduate education

program is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report

thanks to the strength of faculty credentials and training.

Where the journey to success begins

As Northern Illinois University strives to grow its enrollment to 30,000 students by 2020, the traditional on-campus experiences will remain at

the heart of our efforts to build future leaders.

As part of our commitment to becoming the most student-centered public research university in the Midwest, students are welcomed into the Huskie family with the support and guidance they need to flourish from the moment they enroll.

The Office of Student Academic Success is available to all students looking for additional support as they pursue their educational goals. Providing students with support outlets such as MAP-Works, a first-year student program designed to help develop positive habits, NIU is dedicated to ensuring the future success of all students. With support services and career counseling available, students always have somewhere to turn when they need help finding their path.

However, the life of an NIU student extends far beyond the classroom. Extracurricular activities, ranging from the Green Paws Environmental Society Alliance to the Paintball Club, give students the chance to develop social connections with their peers in nearly any area of interest.

The NIU Greek community provides opportunities for students looking for organizations devoted to inspiring personal growth, developing professional skills and facilitating change for future generations. Fraternities and sororities also allow students to create lifelong bonds with their fellow colleagues.

Art exhibits, theatrical performances, concerts and sporting events are a welcome constant in the NIU community, and as a Division I university, NIU also offers students the opportunity to experience the thrill of top-level athletics.

NIU is where bonds are established, where memories are created and where student satisfaction is a priority. It’s where future alumni begin their journey toward success.

Learning online

The computer will never replace the classroom, but it has become a crucial tool in the NIU instructional fabric.

During the next two years, NIU will create additional online courses and degree programs for traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students.

They will join the ranks of existing online courses offered to students seeking Homeland Security certificates or degrees in NIU’s Business Administration or Counseling, Adult and Higher Education departments.

Students enrolled in those programs no longer need to assemble in the same place at the same time to hear the same lesson. They sit at their desks at work, in their

living rooms or on their backyard patios to hear lectures about work-place safety, marketing strategies and classroom techniques

Such advances have created opportunities for students who once said they have no time to finish or advance their degrees. Now they are staying in school and benefitting from NIU’s cutting-edge methods of bringing education closer to them.

Except for courses that require lab work, there is no end to the list of subjects that can be taught completely or partially via computer. Hybrid classes, which combine traditional classes and computers, are becoming popular in the technologically savvy learning community.

The university is committed to providing its students with a larger selec-tion of hybrid classes in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to ensure that traditional, non-traditional, younger, older and full- and

part-time students can find learning environments that best fit their needs.

Alumni ConnectionsThe Northern Illinois University Alumni Association has started a growing net-work called NIU Alumni Connections that enlists alumni, faculty, students and friends to serve as vocal advocates for NIU to ensure continued support from the state and federal government. With ongoing support from elected officials, com-munity leaders and the public, NIU continues to be a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a diverse and international student body in one of the most dynamic regions in the country.

Parents, community leaders, business organizations and other friends are also en-couraged to participate in NIU Alumni Connections, armed with the latest facts, figures and news needed to be effective advocates for the university’s key legislative priorities at strategic times throughout the year.

27