NIU officials aren’t too keen on having a branch campus in Mt. Carroll even though the House of Higher Education Committee is debating such a move.

“Basically, the people of northwestern Illinois want to have an educational opportunity in the area,” said bill-sponsor Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo.

But officials at NIU and the Board of Regents say the educational need doesn’t outweigh the project’s cost, especially in today’s budget crunch. Although some of the money would come from state coffers, NIU would have to foot some of the bill.

“We did not institute the program, nor do we have any resources that would allow us to positively react to the program,” said Phil Adams, the Regents’ legislative liaison.

Adams said he doubts the legislature would be “irresponsible enough to saddle” NIU with the program without providing additional state dollars.

“We talked with Representative Sieben last year and indicated we would be glad to bring the extension programs to the area when the need for a course was evident,” said Ken Beasley, assistant to NIU President John La Tourette. “There did not seem to be enough educational demand for NIU to take over a campus.”

The bill would have NIU establish a branch at the former Shimer College, now called the Campbell Center, in Mt. Carroll. The town is on Illinois Route 64, about 50 miles southwest of Rockford.

Nobody could give a cost estimate for the project, if approved by the General Assembly.

Sieben said the area needs junior- and senior-level courses so people can finish degrees. Sieben said NIU is the “university for higher education in northern Illinois” and should educate the Mt. Carroll area just like it will Rockford and Hoffman Estates.

Although NIU offers off-campus courses in the area, Sieben said an off-campus addition is needed.

But needed or not, the bill’s chances look dim. Sieben introduced a similar bill last year that died in committee.

Any new program is going to have problems getting out of Springfield because of the state’s financial condition, Adams said.

“I believe what you have is a legislator trying to react to some constituents,” Adams said. “They, of course, think it is a good idea.”

If it gets out, “the legislative process is a long one,” Adams said. “There are many hurdles between bill introduction and the governor’s desk.”