About $53 million in state funding for new buildings, renovations and repairs could be allotted to NIU over the next three fiscal years, Illinois Lt. Gov. George Ryan announced Wednesday during a trip to the NIU campus.

The funding will be used to construct an addition to Faraday Hall and a building for the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology—two NIU priorities. Funding also will be provided for repairs and renovations on campus.

All funding recommendations by Gov. James Thompson for the NIU projects depend on the approval of the Illinois State Legislature.

The NIU projects are part of Thompson’s statewide $360 million program to improve and expand science and technology facilities at Illinois public and private universities and colleges, Ryan said.

The Build Illinois Bond Fund will provide $320 million for the project, while the remaining $40 million will come from the General Revenue Fund, he said.

Construction of the NIU buildings will mark the first academic buildings to be erected on campus in 17 years.

Thompson will support $20.4 million in fiscal year 1991 and FY92 for the construction of a Faraday Hall addition and $6.4 million for equipment, Ryan said.

In 1987, the state allocated $946,500 in funding for planning for the Faraday addition.

“We should be ready to go with this project (the Faraday addition) in terms of actually breaking ground very soon—as soon as the legislature approves the funding,” NIU President John LaTourette said.

Almost $900,000 will be allocated to begin planning for the construction of the engineering building.

The total cost of the engineering building will be $22.3 million, Ryan said. The building will be located on the north or south side of Anderson Hall and will provide about 100,000 feet of space. Presently, facilities for NIU’s engineering students are in Sycamore.

In FY90, the Illinois legislature will allot $1.4 million in funding for NIU renovations.

Also between FY91 and FY92, an additional $2.8 million will be allotted to NIU for more repairs and renovations.

“These are the first (academic) facilities other than the (Founders Memorial) library which have come to the university since the 1960s. Even the library was planned before President Leslie Holmes, which goes back to before 1968,” said LaTourette.

Faraday II will provide about 92,000 additional square feet for laboratories, classrooms and faculty office space for the NIU chemistry and physics departments.

The two buildings are “crucial to Northern moving closer to our goal of serving as a strong western anchor to help nurture the DuPage-DeKalb Research and Development Corridor along Interstate 88,” LaTourette said.

Ryan said, “I don’t want anybody to be confused about the need for more money for education because it still exists. This money is just a one-time shot that we’re going to do to bring our universities up to par. I certainly don’t want anybody to think that we have a lot of money for education.”