The business of America is business, but NIU President John La Tourette is correct when saying NIU is more concerned with academics.

Not that money and playing the political game isn’t important. Assuredly, the three come in the same package. And that package gave officials at NIU, Rockford and Springfield a big-time headache.

While most of us were relaxing or making a little pocket money during the holiday break, the government’s bigwigs were throwing NIU a curve ball.

La Tourette hit it over the fence.

NIU tagged a plot of land in Rockford for its extension site. The new center is immediately east of Interstate 90, sitting a stone’s throw away from some nice restaurants, hotels and shopping centers. All that’s left is to hire an architect and get the plans on the drawing table.

But the game wasn’t so easy. Some of Rockford’s leaders, includng Mayor Charles Box and other influential alderman and businessmen, wanted the NIU extension in downtown Rockford.

They maintain downtown is the better site because of the existing state money going there and the help it will bring in Rockford’s rebuilding the once mushrooming downtown locale.

While that may be the case, La Tourette says NIU is in the business of education, not revitalization. Rockford has all of the well-wishes it can get from the NIU community in its efforts, the city isn’t getting the extension downtown.

But this is when money and political games come back into the picture. Former Gov., James Thompson promised to release the $500,000 for the extension’s planning design last March.

Then Thompson started hearing Rockford’s business and political clout crying foul. In his waning hours, Thompson told NIU to rethink its site decision.

La Tourette told everyone the selection process was exhaustive and more than fair. Thompson replied that maybe he should let his shadow, Jim Edgar, make the decision on releasing the money.

But La Tourette stood firm. It’s not easy going toe-to-toe with the big-guys, expecially a governor who has garnered as much support as Thompson.

Getting in a stare-down match was exactly what La Tourette did. NIU’s president put a lot on the line before finally getting Thompson to release the money – the last official act for Illinois’ longest sitting governor.

NIU still isn’t out of the woods. The state Board of Education’s move to rank the extension 36th of 50 projects on a priority list will cause problems. So will an evertightening state budget. Add in for spice the ruckus about the Hoffman Estates venture and NIU still looks like the lone man surrounded by wolves.

But NIU must continue to fight. Although businss, money and political games are an intricate and inseprable part of higher education, La Tourette surprised many and showed NIU can play hardball too.

The extension is to serve all Northern Illinois area students. Its purpose is to rebuild the minds of its students, not to rebuild downtown Rockford.