Today NIU President John Peters will disclose some preliminary findings of an impact study conducted by NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies.

Peters will be the keynote speaker at a business roundtable sponsored by the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation. Each year, NIU’s president is invited to present the impact of the university on DeKalb County’s economy to the organization.

This year, Peters has some general results from a study that makes use of information provided by the 2000 Census.

John Lewis, who assisted in preparing the report, said the center periodically does an economic impact study. The last complete study the center conducted was in 1995, and the center returned to that report for an update in 1997. The study examines the direct and indirect economic effects NIU has on the county.

Lewis said the center has not completed its report, but many of the figures and data were given to Peters for today’s roundtable.

Peters said he would primarily discuss how NIU contributes to the economy in employment, the number of visitors coming to campus each year and how much NIU spends in the community. He also will discuss how much students contribute to the county’s economy beyond tuition.

Peters also said he would bring up the state’s budget crisis, as well as NIU’s, to put some of those impacts into perspective and to demonstrate the effects the problems could bring to the area’s economy.

The authors of the study will not be present at the roundtable, but Peters said he would have graphics and handouts to break down the numbers to area business leaders.

The roundtable will take place today at 11:30 a.m. at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, 1350 W. Prairie Drive in Sycamore.