Northern Illinois University

Altgeld Hall and Still Hall along College Avenue. Altgeld Hall was the first building to be constructed on campus. Northern Illinois University was founded as part of the expansion of the normal school program established in 1857 in Normal, Illinois . In 1895, the state legislature created a board of trustees for the governance of the Northern Illinois State Normal School , which would grow into what is today known as NIU. In July 1917, the Illinois Senate consolidated the boards of trustees for the five state normal schools ( Eastern Illinois State Normal School , Illinois State Normal School , Northern Illinois State Normal School, Southern Illinois State Normal University , and Western Illinois State Normal School ) into one state Normal School Board. Over the next fifty-eight years, the school and the governing board changed their names several times. In 1921, the legislature gave the institution the name Northern Illinois State Teachers College and empowered it to award the four-year Bachelor of Education degree. In 1941, the Normal School Board changed its name to the Teachers College Board. In 1951, the Teachers College Board authorized the college to grant the degree Master of Science in education, and the institution's Graduate School was established. On July 1, 1955, the state legislature renamed the college Northern Illinois State College and authorized the college to broaden its educational services by offering academic work in areas other than teacher education. The Teachers College Board granted permission for the college to add curricula leading to the degrees Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. On July 1, 1957, the Seventieth General Assembly renamed Northern Illinois State College as Northern Illinois University in recognition of its expanded status as a liberal arts university.

In 1965, the Illinois State Teachers College Board became the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities and was reorganized to include Northeastern University, Governor's State, and Chicago State Universities. In 1967, authority for Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and Sangamon State University were passed on to a newly formed board of regents. In 1984, the board created the position of chancellor for the three regent universities to act as a chief executive for all three schools. In 1996, authority for each of the three regency universities was transferred to three independent boards of trustees, each concerned with only one university. [ 6 ] In 2008, the university drew international attention when a gunman opened fire in a crowd of students on campus , killing five students and injuring 17 more people before fatally shooting himself. [ 7 ] Presidents Main article: List of Northern Illinois University people § Presidents of Northern Illinois University Thirteen presidents have served at the university. See above article. [ 8 ]

Altgeld Hall Swen Parson Hall, College of Law The main campus sits on 756 acres in DeKalb and includes 64 major buildings. Additional campus sites include the Lorado Taft Field Campus (144 acres), Rockford Campus (10 acres), and the Naperville Campus (11.2 acres). [ 3 ] One of the most prominent buildings on campus is the castle-like Altgeld Hall. It is one of the five castle-themed buildings built according to the suggestion of Governor John Peter Altgeld . The auditorium in Altgeld Hall, which was designed to also function as a ballroom, was restored and can seat up to 500. [ 9 ] On the level below the auditorium, the original gym was transformed into a computer classroom. [ 10 ] Also on the same level is the NIU Art Museum which occupies two large spaces. The East Lagoon near Altgeld is a recreation spot on campus. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] The Holmes Student Center also houses a 78-room hotel. [ 13 ] Residence halls Martin Luther King Commons at night NIU's residence halls provide several living options to on-campus students. [ 14 ] As of 2024, there are six student dormitories and complexes. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Living-learning floors include the Health Professions House; Business Careers House; Teacher Education and Certification House; Honors House; International House; Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics House; and Fine Arts House. [ 17 ] Northern View Community, which opened in 2008, offers apartments to undergraduate students who are at least two years post-high school, graduate students, law students, or any student who has a dependent and/or a partner or spouse. [ 18 ] The Fanny Ruth Patterson Complex, a 1,000-bed complex just north of Lincoln Hall, opened to all students in the fall of 2012. It features two residential buildings where students can live in clusters of 12. [ 19 ]

On the west side of campus is Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium , the home of NIU football games, which also often hosts other outdoor events. Huskie Stadium, which has a seating capacity over 23,000, is surrounded by large open grassy areas which provide recreation, and also serve as the tailgating lots for football games. [ 20 ] There is also a baseball field, Ralph McKinzie Field ; a softball field, Mary M. Bell Field; a soccer field, Huskie Soccer Complex; and tennis courts, Gullikson Tennis Courts, which flank Huskie Stadium. At the stadium's north end zone are two athletic buildings. The first is the Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon Academic and Athletic Performance Center. The facility opened in August 2007. The second is the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Indoor Practice Center, [ 21 ] an 80,600-square-foot practice facility that houses the football, baseball, and softball teams. On the far west side of campus is the Convocation Center , a 10,000-seat arena opened in 2002. The Convocation Center hosts NIU men's and women's basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, and volleyball, Victor E. Court, games, the opening convocation ceremony for incoming freshmen, music concerts, and a variety of events throughout the year including job fairs, internship fairs, and other expositions. At the corner of Annie Glidden Road and Lucinda Avenue is the Chick Evans Field House , home to two large activity rooms with mirrors often used by dance clubs; a three-lane, 1/7-mile jogging and walking track; four multipurpose courts for basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer and floor hockey; and a cardio- and strength-training room, which has been under-used since the basketball team moved to the Convocation Center. The field house continues to host expositions and sporting events of a smaller scale, and is the headquarters for the campus ROTC program. Two swimming pools are located in Anderson and Gabel Halls.