Two years ago, NIU business majors crowded into the classrooms at Wirtz Hall. The chipped paint on the walls and the old classrooms weren’t the best, but they had to suffice.

After a $20 million donation from Dennis Barsema, an alumnus of NIU’s College of Business, business students now occupy one of the most technologically advanced buildings in the state, and NIU is starting to reap some of the building’s benefits.

“The business college is up 47 percent in confirmations for new students and up 50 percent for transfers,” said David Graf, dean of the College of Business.

Numbers for students accepted into the College of Business have increased over the past several years. So far, 188 new students have been accepted, up from 111 in 2003.

Both graduate and undergraduate admissions have increased since opening the doors of Barsema Hall in fall 2002. According to the Office of Admissions, applications to the College of Business are increasing: 1,771 new freshman applied in 2002, 1,864 applied in 2003 and 2,602 applied in 2004.

“I think the level of interest in the college of business is going to be high because of the facilities and the programs we have, but also the number of people graduating from high school is also increasing,” Graf said. “If we get a larger market share, that’s going to continue for the next few years.”

To weed out students who have been accepted into the program initially but aren’t able to maintain their grades, a special class was created to help curtail students who might have only a passing interest in the business field. Once students enter their junior year, they must pass a 12-credit, cross-functional course with a C or better. They also must maintain a 2.75 grade point average to be enrolled in the class.