NIU President John Peters delivered the State of the University Address to more than 450 people in the first function since the building’s reopening today.

Peters spoke about the history of NIU and how modernization and technology are affecting the campus to meet new needs of society.

“From the beginning, the NIU story has been about purpose, vision and the spirit of giving,” Peters said. “The ornamentation, the castle design of this building, the exquisite architectural details laden with meaning and message – all these features mean to emphasize the importance of knowledge and of education and to underscore how the educated person had a special place in our society.”

NIU began in Altgeld Hall as Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899 and has evolved tremendously through modernization, Peters said. Through the changes, education has remained “very serious business at this school,” he said.

Peters described the changes NIU has witnessed in the past year and the direction of the next year:

– NIU instituted enrollment management efforts last year to help control the growing student population on campus after three years of state budget cuts totalling nearly $40 million. This year, NIU saw a 12-percent increase in applicants and was forced to turn away hundreds of students in order to control the student population, Peters said.

“I have to confess that I worry about the 1,500 fully-qualified Illinois high school students we had to turn away,” Peters said. “But when NIU promises to provide a quality educational experience, we have to be able to provide the classes our students need to graduate in a timely manner. We have to keep class size within a manageable range, and we have to make sure that our students have reasonable access to their professors. That, too, is enhancing the learning experience.”

-The $5.75 million Rapid Optimization of Commercial Knowledge project in Rockford – in which NIU participates — is developing next-generation military vehicles.

“The program will help Rockford’s manufacturing industry have a hand in creating a new generation of faster, lighter and stronger fighting vehicles for the U.S. Armed Forces,” Peters said. R.O.C.K. will also help to create new jobs in Rockford, he said.

-Peters said the Office of External Affairs and Economic Development, headed by Associate Vice PresidentKathy Buettner, has been working hard for “multidisciplinary approaches to research funding that has helped NIU land larger and more numerous federal grants.”

NIU recently received the first installment of a five-year, $5 million grant to develop emission-free, clean energy fuel cells in a project at Argonne National Laboratory in conjunction with Fermilab of Batavia, Peters said. The project will be guided by NIU scientists Bogdan Dabrowski and Anima Bose.

“Our faculty has not only advanced their own research by working there but also exposed their graduate students to facilities and experts that are the envy of elite universities worldwide,” Peters said.

– NIU was awarded a $2.3 million grant for its new Analytical Center for Climate and Environmental Change. The grant will allow NIU geologists to purchase high-quality scientific instruments, such as a hot-water drilling system and a remotely-operated submarine for exploration under the Antarctic ice sheet.

– Peters said within the next several weeks, NIU plans to announce new initiatives that will extend its expertise in health and family wellness.

“No matter where one looks – athletics, schools, colleges, faculty, staff, students – the institution is seen to benefit from the loyalty and commitment of professionals at every level,” Peters said. “This single fact may be one of the institution’s greatest strengths.”

NIU Trustee Bob Boey said the background for the address – Altgeld Hall – was beautiful and rich in NIU history.

“When I walked into the building for the first time from seeing it years ago, it took my breath away,” Boey said. “It’s a great day to be part of NIU.”

“We owe [John Peter Altgeld] and all our predecessors a debt of gratitude,” Peters said. “As you walk through this beautiful building, enjoying the sights and sounds of time gone by and time yet to come, take a minute to think of them, the education pioneers, who could imagine a future filled with knowledge and who built a castle in the cornfields.”