NIU officials received approval to spend roughly $2.28 million during the next five years to upgrade the school’s computer systems, according to a Sept. 28, 1984 Northern Star article.

The computers were to have been obtained through a five-year purchase agreement, according to John Tuecke, executive director of computing facilities.

“Of course, it goes without saying that this will be beneficial to the university,” Tuecke said. “Our research and staff need modern equipment. To manage ourselves as a university we need equipment in order to do that.”

NIU President John Latourette called this ‘the best buy for university dollars,’ according to a press release.

These new computer systems held double the memory of the old ones, as the input/output channels increased by almost 33 percent. 

“The additions were all necessary to meet the expanding, growing work load,” Tuecke said.