DeKALB – The NIU Board of Trustees met Thursday, approving several contracts while also highlighting faculty recognitions, academic changes, research and fundraising.
As part of a new bulk purchasing program, NIU’s Division of Information Technology (DoIT) received approval to spend up to $1.7 million with Dell Technologies for campus computer upgrades.
The university has already been provided 500 devices for $466,000. The university is set to save 20% on additional technology and by the end of Fiscal Year 26, an additional $1.2 million in equipment is set to be ordered.
The Board of Trustees also renewed NIU’s license agreement with Adobe Software, which provides access to Adobe Creative Cloud, Acrobat Pro, Adobe Express and additional tools such as AI Assistant and Acrobat Sign. The contract totals up to $885,000 over the course of the next three years and nine months. This will give students and faculty access to Adobe products for various projects throughout the year.
In athletics, the board approved President Lisa Freeman to have authority to manage expenses if the NIU football team qualifies for a post-season Bowl Game. NIU has competed in 13 bowl games over the past 16 seasons. This approval ensures the university can cover costs such as – but not limited to – ticketing, travel/transportation, lodging, rentals, etc.
The meeting also recognized 22 retiring professors with emeritus status, honoring a long and good standing with the university. Emeritus faculty can teach, pursue research and sponsored project opportunities, serve on graduate committees and serve temporarily in key administrative positions if the need arises.
NIU also reported several academic changes for 2025, including the launch of a new criminology degree and multiple new certificates and graduate specializations.
Meanwhile, the NIU Foundation announced that fundraising reached $61.8 million, which doubles last year’s funding. The funding supports Forward: The Campaign for NIU, a $300 million goal to support student success, facility excellence and NIU’s impact on communities. The campaign has completed 57% of its funding goal since its launch in June 2025.
The board will meet later this fall on Dec. 11 to continue discussions regarding NIU’s academic, financial and community success.
