With the completion of the Convocation Center, the NIU athletic department seems to be setting its sights on a new venture, with a famous alumni possibly being a key contributor to its future plans.

Dennis Barsema’s name continues to surface as a possible donor for the next improvement project. Barsema contributed $20 million in order to build the business department’s new building, Barsema Hall, which opened up just prior to the start of this semester.

“It’s been on our radar screen for quite some time, but at this point there’s not a whole lot of focus on it,” Barsema said. “There’s a lot more work that needs to be done. We are a good six to 12 months away from any sort of formal announcement.”

If a donation was to be made, it appears likely the money would head toward a new football office facility and new indoor practice facility.

“Our first priority is to complete receiving donations to pay for all of the furniture in the Convocation Center,” NIU athletic director Cary Groth said. “Our next priority is a facility where we can hold our football offices and meeting rooms. The offices are deplorable and need some attention.”

Ideally, the office would be located on the north end of Huskie Stadium, just beyond the stands.

With a new office facility, the football program could expect to see a jump in recruiting similar to what basketball and volleyball expect to receive from the Convocation Center.

“We just need to be in the same class as everyone else with both a football complex and an indoor complex that all sports, not just football, could use,” football coach Joe Novak said.

“We are way behind everyone else, even in our conference, with the facilities here,” Novak continued. We need an office area, meeting area and an academic area with computer labs. Our players are blocked every day from 2 to 6 p.m. with football. They have little time and need a place where they can get at a computer right away to get their work done.”

Along with the football complex, a new indoor facility would be considered where other teams could practice.

“We need an indoor facility for the other sports when inclement weather forces people inside,” Groth said. “Chick Evans Field House is no longer available and the players are currently forced to use up space over at the Recreation Center.”

NIU cannot just give a donation directly into a particular athletic program such as football. With laws and regulations including Title IX standards and NCAA rules, distributing money must be made evenly between both men’s and women’s athletics.

The only possible complication could come in the building of a football complex. There are exemptions made for one-time donations such as buildings or stadiums. NIU could also build offices in the football facility for other sports as well and allow students for all sports access to its possible computer labs.

The key is to make sure the facilities are equal for both the men and women in any sport and not biased toward either gender. If it were found that NIU did favor a particular gender, they could face many problems including probation or a banning from the NCAA and the elimination of state funding for a violation of Title IX.

The most important thing for the athletic department is to focus on building the best facilities they can. Not only to improve the athletic department, but to help improve the student-athletes themselves.

“What I like best about the athletic program here at NIU is that it is education first,” Barsema said. “It’s supported first by (Groth) and follows through to all of the coaches I have met so far.”

Barsema’s plan through his donations is to build NIU into one of the top schools in the nation in any way he can help.

“This is just a part of the grand scheme,” Barsema added. “Both my wife and I feel that NIU can and should be one of the elite schools in the country. This school has all of the markings to be one of the best. If we can help, we want to do that.”