Named Endowment Opportunities
Endowment dollars generate earning, a portion of which support scholarships, teaching, programming, research, the libraries, and athletics. The endowment principal is invested in perpetuity, sustaining Northern throughout even the most uncertain times.
An endowment gift made to NIU today will resonate for generations to come-sustaining the university’s academic and research mission and underwriting its growth into an institution of national importance.
Your named endowed gift may reflect a particular interest, or be earmarked as unrestricted, to be used where the need is greatest.
Giving opportunities
ENDOWED CHAIR
Minimum Level -$1 million
The highest honor that can be bestowed on a faculty member, the endowed chair provides an eminent scholar with a salary as well as additional sums to fund graduate assistant salaries, secretarial support, course development, and traveling expenses.
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP
Range - $500,000-750,000
Professorship-Normally awarded to tenured faculty who are distinguished in scholarship, teaching, and research. Supplements departmental support for salary, research, and travel.
Term Professorship-Rotate for terms of up to three to five years among resident senior faculty in recognition of teaching excellence within a department or school. Research Professorship-Offers the university or college the flexibility to identify research needs by recognizing faculty on either an extended, short-term, or rotating basis.
Assistant Professorship-Awarded to either a non-tenured faculty to attract them to tenure tracks, or to newly tenured faculty who have distinguished themselves (support rising stars).
ENDOWED VISITING PROFESSORSHIP
Minimum Level - $250,000
Established within a department, college, or discipline and held by distinguished faculty from other institutions.
ENDOWED LECTURESHIP
Minimum Level - $100,000
Will enable the college to retain regionally and nationally recognized experts to participate in a lecture series to benefit faculty and students in the college.
ENDOWED GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP
Minimum Level - $150,000
Provides financial aid to quality graduate or professional school students who are interested in assisting with research or teaching in the college or department.
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
Range - $25,000-$100,000
Provides financial assistance at various levels to undergraduate, graduate, or professional school students.
ENDOWED UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS
Minimum Level - $250,000
The university’s most prestigious scholarship, will provide full tuition, room, and board to an honors student coming to Northern Illinois University for four years.
ENDOWMENT FOR LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
Foundation Level - $25,000
Enables the library to purchase books and other materials primarily for general education course (freshman and sophomore level course).
Instructional Support - $100,000
Enables the library to purchase materials for the entire undergraduate and master’s level experience.
Research Support - $250,000
Provides the library with resources necessary to purchase materials to support faculty scholarship, research grants activity, and doctoral level programs.
Comprehensive Support - $500,000
Enables the library to purchase significant materials for all levels of instruction and research at NIU.
ENDOWED DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL/CENTER/COLLEGE
The minimum gift required to name a department, school, center, or college will be determined by the appropriate academic administrators, the university president, and the chief development officer.