NIU’s future is beginning to take shape as a statement of purpose will be debated by the Facutly Senate today.

A “vision” statement was drafted to outline the goals NIU should try to attain in the next century, building upon the successes of the past and the present.

The statement was created at the request of NIU President John La Tourette to commemorate the second century of NIU’s existence, said University Council Secretary J. Carroll Moody.

The statement opens by describing how NIU has reflected on its past as well as a call “to take stock of its (NIU’s) present circumstances and challenges and to develop a vision for its future.”

La Tourette selected a vision committee made up of faculty, students, staff and administrators in 1989. The committee met several times with various members of the university and examined several documents, trying to find the future demographics of NIU, Moody said.

After studying these documents, they were able to make estimations about NIU’s future and include them in the statement, he said.

According to the statement, “by the year 2000, demographic changes in Illinois make it likely that more than one-third of the university’s undergraduate students will be African-American, Hispanic and Asian; and an increasing number of its graduate students will come from these groups.”

La Tourette also is creating a celebration committee to plan and develop the activities taking place when the anniversary is observed starting in 1955, Moody said.

The celebration activities will last until 1999 and the vision statement will be part of the centennial campaign, Moody said.

The vision statement, which was drafted in November 1990, has been reviewed since that time by various councils and departments on campus.

Although careful planning was involved in making the rough draft of the statement, these councils are giving their advice to the committee.

Today will be the Faculty Senate’s turn to review the statement. The senate will discuss and review the statement, as well as question a panel of senators, who are committee.

The statement discussion is limited to one and a half hours, according to the senate meeting agenda. The vision committee will listen to all the feedback and will meet again to rewrite the statement.