The first domino in determining NIU’s budget for next year will fall when the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s recommendation becomes public later this month.

NIU President John Peters said the university has received no indication of how big an increase or decrease in general funds will be recommended by the IBHE.

“I know it is frustrating for the community, but we have no information,” he said. “It’s frustrating for everyone. We are supposed to hear soon about what is being recommended by the IBHE. Our hope is that it is a budget that shows some increases, particularly for faculty and staff salaries. That would be the best possible situation. We don’t know, though. If there were information, we would have it out there.”

Dan Layzell, deputy director for planning and budgeting of IBHE, would not comment on what will be recommended, but he noted the reason for the uncertainty.

“Everybody has already seen the information that the governor’s office of management and budget have made public over the last several months about the ongoing uncertainty with regard to the state’s financial condition,” he said.

Layzell said the recommendation will be available when the agendas for the IBHE’s next meeting on Feb. 3 are released during the last week of January.