Bart Simpson is leaving Springfield and making a stop at NIU.

Nancy Cartwright, the voice of the popular animated character, will speak at 7 p.m. today at the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium.

The event is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.

Tiffany Gonzales, coordinator of the CAB speakers committee, said CAB is expecting between 500 and 700 students to attend.

“Simpsons is big at NIU,” she said. “People have been calling for months about it.”

Originally, the committee wanted Dan Castellaneta, an NIU alumnus and the voice of Homer Simpson, to speak. However, Castellaneta wanted to talk about jazz music, and the committee didn’t think students would be interested, Gonzales said.

Cartwright will speak about her life and how she got involved in “The Simpsons.” She also will talk about her book, “My Life As a 10-Year-Old Boy.”

Gonzales said the committee has been organizing the event since November.

The event is free, SA allocated and open to all. For more information, call the CAB office at 753-1580.