NIU alumnus Dennis Barsema and his wife, Stacey, may invest in NIU’s future again.

The Barsemas are considering donating money to the athletic and speech programs, Dennis Barsema said in a phone interview with the Northern Star.

“We have a passion for the athletic program,” Barsema said. “I think eventually we’d like to do something with that program.”

Barsema also hopes to donate to the speech program because he stutters, he said.

NIU’s location and potential influenced Barsema’s decision to donate money to the university, he said.

“The thing that has always preceded economic growth is education. We need to continue to support [the university] so they can continue to educate and deliver the students and ideas to the community,” Barsema said. “I felt that the business programs that Northern has are excellent programs. I see no reason why NIU wouldn’t become a top business school in the country.”

The Barsemas also contributed $500,000 to establish a business scholarship bearing their name. The scholarship will provide full tuition and books for qualifying business majors. A portion of the donation will be dedicated to students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.

The couple also donated $224,000 to fund the Business Information Technology Transfer Center, allowing OMIS majors to work on projects for large corporations.