Illinois lawmakers might thwart NIU’s attempt to build a Hoffman Estates campus unless NIU President John La Tourette can counter some negative reactions from House appropriations committee members Wednesday.

La Tourette will appear at 8 a.m. before the House Education Appropriations Committee in Springfield to discuss a questionnaire and answer questions.

Committee Chairman Andrew McGann (D-Chicago) said during last Thursday’s committee meeting that NIU’s move into Hoffman Estates would be an extra burden on the state in years to come. Rep. David Phelps (D-Eldorado) said he wanted to know how the proposed campus will not turn out to be a “13th public university.”

McGann put off discussion about the move until today because the committee had just sent NIU a questionnaire about the Hoffman Estates project.

La Tourette said Monday that the questionnaire would show “that the money we are already spending can be reallocated to this facility.”

La Tourette said the Hoffman Estates campus would consolidate about 30 of NIU’s 130 existing off-campus sites, helping offset the spiraling cost of renting teaching sites in the northwest suburbs. Extra charges for audio-visual equipment and other fees would also be avoided, he said.

The new campus would fulfill a long-recognized need for more public graduate-level education in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, he said.

La Tourette also said Roosevelt University officials should not criticize NIU’s Hoffman Estates proposal because Roosevelt was started for the urban areas of Chicago only.

“Our view is that there is more than enough growth out there to keep us all busy,” he said.

However, McGann said Thursday he thought La Tourette was promoting the campus for personal glory.

“You’ve tried to inflate your dynasty at the cost of many other people involved,” McGann told La Tourette. “It may very well affect your budget for times to come,” he said.