Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center project
attracts local supporters to 'Circle of the Seal'

Northern Illinois University’s newest building – the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center – will further one of its oldest commitments.

For generations of DeKalb County residents and neighbors, NIU has gone beyond its educational mission to serve as a cultural and social Mecca in the proverbial backyard.

Concerts, from classical and jazz to rock and rap. Plays, from Shakespeare and Chekhov to the modern and the unknown. Ballets. Musicals. Art exhibitions. Lectures. Football. Basketball. Worship services.

Young people from around northern Illinois come, often with their parents, siblings and grandparents in tow, to play or sing in district-wide concerts, to show off their thinking skills in debates or math contests or to compete in semifinal action for their high school sports teams. Others spend a week or more living on campus as participants in a multitude of annual summer camps.

The opening of the Convocation Center in 2002 brought NIU to a new level, unveiling a world-class venue for big-name entertainment acts and for the Huskies.

Now the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, scheduled to open Homecoming Weekend this fall, will offer local families a special and beautiful place to celebrate their milestones. The building can accommodate wedding receptions, anniversary parties, birthday bashes and more, including business meetings, class reunions and company banquets.

And, as the name implies, it will become a gateway to DeKalb County.

People who drive into DeKalb along well-traveled Annie Glidden Road won’t miss the word “Visitors” on the building’s exterior. Inside they will find information about many of the area’s tourist attractions, including restaurants and hotels.

For NIU leaders, the “visitors” component is integral to the university’s dedication to its neighbors in the community.

“The new Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center continues the university’s century-long commitment to the community, and will provide an exciting new venue for celebrating family, corporate and community events,” said Michael P. Malone, vice president for university advancement. “In addition, as a front door to the greater DeKalb-Sycamore area, we can provide an entry point for those interested in buying a home or starting a business in DeKalb. In that way, the center also contributes to the growing reputation of the region as a wonderful place to raise a family or invest in a business opportunity.”

Ground was broken during Homecoming 2004 on the two-and-a-half story, 37,000-square-foot Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.

Located on the southwest corner of Annie Glidden Road and Stadium Drive, the building will boast state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities and office space for the NIU Alumni Association, the NIU Student Alumni Association and representatives from the admissions and orientation offices.

Its centerpiece is the Great Hall, featuring plaques, displays and exhibits highlighting the history of NIU and the accomplishments of the university’s alumni. The NIU Foundation is serving as developer and financing construction of the building, which it will turn over to the university when the debt has been retired.

As expected, the building that will make community impact is drawing community support.

Many area residents, including some who are not NIU alumni, have stepped forward with financial contributions. Local banks also have donated toward the cause.

“The amazing strength of local community support for the center reinforces our own initial attraction to this project as one that would mutually benefit both NIU and the community it serves,” Malone said.

For more information about the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center and the many opportunities to give, call (815) 753-1048.

5-9-05