SPRINGFIELD _The Board of Regents Thursday applauded NIU’s move into Hoffman Estates when they gave the proposal overwhelming support.

But Chancellor Roderick Groves, who requested the approval, said there is a need to clear the air on the planned NIU center.

NIU and Hoffman Estates officials revealed the plan for a NIU studies branch in the Chicago suburb Sept. 17. The center is primarily for NIU programming but also will be open to other institutions on a space-limit basis.

“The proposed NIU off-campus programming center represents an outstanding opportunity for not only NIU but all of Illinois higher education,” Groves said.

NIU student Regent James Mertes questioned the funding for the center because of worries that money needed to fund the Hoffman Estates project could be used for the DeKalb campus.

But President John La Tourette said program consolidation would make more effective use of the money. La Tourette said the use of a permanent facility is more cost effective than renting temporary space. “We spend hundreds of thousands annually on rent and start-up fees,” he said.

The consolidation would lead to tying NIU with its proposed regional centers in Hoffman Estates and Rockford. Officials plan to develop a computer network backbone that would link students with NIU’s library and the state library system.

In addition, a possible shortage of faculty could lead to teleconference classes, La Tourette said. “We will keep up with the information age,” he said.

Thomas Wallace, president of Illinois State University in Normal, said NIU’s financial strategy is “wise. It makes a lot of sense.”

In other Regents business, a list of fiscal year 1992 capital projects funding requests made by NIU were passed. In order of priority, the approvals were:

$304,320 for the steam tunnel running from Faraday to Gable Halls.

$760,000 for building systems improvements.

$512,670 for Rockford facility construction.

$246,500 for Graham Hall asbestos abatement.

$655,200 for Engineering Building equipment.

$101,900 for Founders Memorial Library addition planning.

$111,970 for a Montgomery Hall Anatomy addition.

$198,600 for a Theater Arts addition.