It hasn’t been a good week for NIU.

It was just seven days ago that a suburban newspaper leaked the news that NIU was planning to expand and build a “regional education center” in Hoffman Estates. No one from NIU was quoted in the story; the paper attributed statements to “sources say.”

And with good reason. Hush-hush NIU kept its deal secret for a year.

The problem is, while NIU officials probably think it’s been a banner week for them, they’re ruining the school’s reputation statewide. Instead of looking like a place of higher education, it’s started to appear like a land-hungry, money-grubbing beast that wants to increase its sphere of influence far beyond the corn fields of DeKalb.

It was about this time a year ago that a Rockford “graduate studies center” came in view. Apparently, NIU had no problem keeping this on the record.

A bill to provide $500,000 in “site-search” money met a red light at Gov. James Thompson’s desk, but found new life at the fall veto session. Then, it was only a matter of waiting for Thompson’s signature (which still hasn’t come).

During the wait, NIU began meeting with Rockford College and Rock Valley College to iron out concerns of competition through duplicate classes.

Rockford Mayor Charles Box gave his hearty support. Rockford’s Chamber of Commerce and other business groups began letter-writing drives to Thompson. Sen. Joyce Holmberg, D-Rockford, who got the ball rolling in the first place, kept pushing for the center.

Rockford was in love with NIU, but NIU only slapped it in the face when it revealed that it’d been dealing behind closed doors with another city.

Funny, it was only two weeks ago that NIU President John La Tourette flew to Rockford from an Illinois Board of Higher Education meeting to tell the good news that the IBHE approved the center.

What’s more funny is that NIU began fighting with the University of Illinois over class duplication in Rockford. But not to worry. NIU just brushed off the U of I’s claims. Everything would be different, La Tourette said.

Now it seems nearly null. NIU’s got Hoffman Estates now and the backing of the city and Sears, both of which are putting up money and land. And, La Tourette’s already pledged tuition and fee money to pay off construction loans for what the Board of Regents calls “expanded program delivery in the western suburbs.”

Not only that, it’s got Roosevelt University on its back for the same reasons all these other schools had: What’s NIU doing out of DeKalb?

It’s almost getting cliche, but when NIU runs into opposition, La Tourette says it’s time to stop the “turf wars.” But who’s starting them? It’s not the other universities.

Still, voracious NIU wants both cities for its campuses. And, officials are asking the BOR for some money to help them get started.

One question remains, though. With all the expansion elsewhere, what’s being done here at home?

It’s a disgrace.