Although new governor Jim Edgar was unaware his predecessor released $500,000 of state money for an NIU campus in Rockford, the money probably is safe from Edgar’s budget-trimming scissors.

Edgar told reporters Tuesday he didn’t know former governor James Thompson had made the last-minute release and said he might reevaluate the project as he prepares to make hefty cuts in the state’s budget.

However, Edgar spokesman Mike Lawrence said the new governor probably will be reluctant to renege on previous state commitments.

“It doesn’t mean the Rockford project won’t go forward,” Lawrence said. However, Lawrencew said Edgar plans to control spending and “order close scrutiny of new capital spending.”

Lawrence refused to speculate on future funding for the NIU center, which still needs considerable state money for construction costs once the project begins.

It is too early to tell what the state can expect from the Edgar administration, said NIU President John La Tourette. Thompson released funds for several projects during the last month which, like the Rockford campus, might be discussed again, the president said.

“We’ll have to wait to see what will come out of Edgar’s office,” La Tourette said.

Rockford center plans reached the Illinois Capital Development Board Wednesday, but La Tourette said he will not know what the board decided until today.

With the board’s help, NIU will find architects and engineers and work on designs during the next several months. If all goes well, La Tourette said, the earliest construction could begin is next spring.