The Illinois Board of Higher Education will approve or reject a $1,450,700 proposal for improvement projects at NIU at its meeting Wednesday at Decatur’s Millikin University.

Improvements include: $500,000 for upgrading the fire system in the Holmes Student Center; $250,000 for lighting replacement in the corridors, lounges and stairwells of Lincoln and Douglas Residence Halls; and $350,000 for installation of a smoke detection system in Lincoln Hall.

The Board of Regents earlier this summer approved the money needed, said J. Carroll Moody, executive secretary of the University Council.

“The fire alarm system in the student center is the original equipment. We can’t get replacement parts for it anymore. We must meet all new fire codes when replacing the system,” said Patricia Hewitt, business and operations associate vice president.

The student center would have to be shut down for several months to reduce installation costs, Hewitt said.

The replacement of the lights in Lincoln and Douglas halls will consist of “changing incandescent lights to fluorescent lights to conserve energy,” she said.

“The energy we conserve will pay us back within two and one-half years,” Hewitt said.

The installation of the smoke detection system in Lincoln Hall is the fifth phase of the plan to install smoke detection systems in all university residence halls, she said.

Improvements also include $350,700 for the reconstruction of the parking lot between Neptune West and the Chick Evans Field House parking lot and the resurfacing of three other parking lots, she said.

When the resurfacing of Neptune parking lot was done, “it was done quickly. If we lay a proper base, then we won’t have to repair it as often,” Hewitt said.

In addition, Gov. James Thompson is waiting for the IBHE’s approval of NIU’s Rockford facility for off-campus graduate programming before releasing the allocated $500,000.

NIU has been offering courses at various Rockford locations for more than 30 years through the NIU College of Continuing Education, said Ken Beasley, assistant to NIU President John La Tourette.

The IBHE report states that NIU offers more than half the off- campus programs available in the Rock Valley College district.

But at the July IBHE meeting, Board of Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves said the center is not intended as an NIU branch campus. The center would allow NIU to be involved with economic development and research.

La Tourette will fly to Rockford for a news conference after the IBHE meeting.