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Northern Illinois University

NIU Office of Public Affairs


News Release

Contact: Melanie Magara, Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-1681

October 2, 2003

Peters calls for "recommitment to public purpose,"
preparation for coming enrollment boom

Public policy and partnerships key themes
in annual ‘State of the University Address’

DeKalb – Public universities are unprepared for a coming “tidal wave” of new students, and policymakers must be persuaded to reframe the debate on college costs if the U.S. is to avoid a devastating gap between “educational haves and have-nots,” according to NIU President John Peters.

Speaking at his fourth annual State of the University Address today, Peters cited numerous statistics and reports that show an unprecedented number of students attempting to enter American colleges and universities over the next decade – at the very time that state support for higher education has plummeted nationwide.

“How will this state or any other state accommodate this burgeoning number of new students?” Peters asked. “How can we possibly expect to jump start a knowledge-based economy if a significant portion of our citizens are denied access to college? We need to help policymakers understand that the issue is much larger than administrative costs and tuition – This is the single most important domestic policy issue we have, and so far public debate has only skirted the edges,” he added.

Peters said all members of the higher education community must “turn up the volume so our leaders will recommit to public higher education as a public good that serves all of society.”

At the same time, Peters said universities must “recommit to public purpose,” and emphasize the strong role they play in economic and regional development. He said NIU was well-positioned to lead such a campaign, given its extensive partnerships throughout the Chicagoland area and historic commitment to broad student access.

“Our requests for greater public support must be supported by evidence of indispensable leadership in regional development, economic growth and improved quality of life,” Peters said. “On that score, NIU is clearly at the forefront among American public universities, and fast becoming a model for the modern university, founded on and driven by public purpose,” he said.

Peters spoke at length about NIU’s growing partnerships with area schools, using the occasion to announce receipt of a new, $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for work in the Rockford public schools (see linked news release).

Other announcements included:

  • a $1.5 million Department of Education grant to help partnership school teachers improve use of technology in the classroom;
  • $2 million in federal continuation funding for NIU’s Physic’s department and its Center for Accelerator and Detector Development;
  • a new $75,000 grant to support work with teachers and rehabilitation specialists working with the blind;
  • a $400,000 federal grant to help establish an Ag-Tech park in Belvidere where new uses for agricultural products will be developed and sent to market;
  • $1.75 million for the College of Engineering to help scientists there study fuel cell technology;
  • $2.5 million for a Rockford-based manufacturing and research initiative, also led by the College of Engineering; and
  • $10 million in private fundraising in the past year, with donations ranging from six-figure estate gifts to million-dollar endowments.

Peters concluded a long list of announcements about special federal earmarks and private gifts by returning to his theme, reminding elected officials that special research funding and private fundraising can’t make up for losses in basic state funding: “If public higher education is a public good, it must be publicly supported – period,” he said.

The complete text of Dr. Peters’ remarks, complete with hyperlinks to source data, articles and other information, is available online at www.niu.edu/president.

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