Gov. James Thompson has signed a bill authorizing NIU to study sites for a possible branch campus in Rockford. Although this looks to be a positive step, NIU and Rockford officials should analyze this project carefully before moving further.

The location of the branch campus is uncertain. The site committee is considering available space at Rock Valley College, as well as an elementary school and a middle school emptied by recent Rockford public school closings.

The study of the educational needs of the city of Rockford will be completed this semester. With two community colleges—Rockford College and Rock Valley—in the area, the necessity of an NIU branch in Rockford should be questioned, if it already has not been investigated.

What if Rockford needs to re-open the schools in which NIU had been promised space? What if NIU’s course offerings don’t appeal to the people of Rockford?

Rockford would reap definite benefits from any increase of educational resources that NIU could bring to its citizens, while NIU could broaden its base by attracting transfer students to DeKalb.

While an expansion as broad as this certainly looks favorable for NIU, this move must be paired with caution on our part. Just to keep NIU on the safe side, let’s look before we leap.