NIU is experiencing its largest year-to-year enrollment in the past 25 years.

“There’s a buzz about NIU. It’s a neat place to go,” NIU president John Peters said.

Melanie Magara, assistant vice president of Public Affairs said incoming freshmen numbers have increased 2,845 from last year to 3,050 this year. Transfer student enrollment has increased from 2,350 from last year to 2,500 this year.

With the additions of Barsema Hall and the Convocation Center, students are becoming interested in what NIU has to offer.

“NIU is the public university in one of the fastest growing regions of Illinois,” Peters said.

In the wake of Sept. 11, more students are staying closer to home and the economy also has played a large part in the graduate numbers. Many grad students are heading back to school to further degrees.

The number of high school seniors in our region has grown, which also is adding to the heightened student population, Magara said.

More students and less money poses a problem for NIU.

“It’s always a challenge to meet student needs when numbers go up,” Magara said. “Our faculty and staff has really come together.”

President Peters agreed.

“There was heroic efforts on faculty and staff to handle the increase of students,” he said.

NIU lost $13 million in state funds this year.

“NIU needs more state funding for salaries and academic programs,” Peters said.

Even though NIU has had to cut back on the budget, Peters is proud of how the institution has handled it.

In order to get ready for the increase of students, Student Housing and Dining Services put a cap on the number of returning students who would be able to obtain housing. This would ensure that there would be enough housing for the incoming freshmen.

“We have about 150 students in temporary housing lodged in the Holmes Student Center Hotel and Douglas and Lincoln lounges,” said Michael Coakely, executive director of Housing and Dining.

Even though temporary housing has been a problem for some incoming freshmen for the past five years, Housing and Dining has the situation under control.

“We’re at full occupancy and scrambling but they’ve done a remarkable job,” Peters said.

According a recent press release, NIU Admissions Director Bob Burk attributes one reason for enrollment increases to the “buzz” about NIU. He said most of the buzz was because of NIU’s faculty, staff and the personal attention given to students.