After Gov. George Ryan’s preliminary budget speech in February, Eddie Williams, Finance and Facilities senior vice president and director, is optimistic that NIU will receive the supplemental funding it has requested from the state.

“It is too early to say if we are going to receive the extra funds we have requested, but we are confident,” Williams said.

The bulk of the supplemental funds are distributed through the normal budget plans, divided into two categories: newly proposed requests and capital renewal projects.

Capital renewal projects are usually below $500,000 and at NIU include the Stevens Building roof replacement, Gilbert Hall remodeling and further elevator and roof repairs.

The regular capital projects are more than $500,000 and include various renovations of Wirtz, Reavis, Watson and Gilbert halls, along with off-campus Hoffman Estates Education Center projects.

Williams said the latest important project was an $7.8 million upgrading of NIU’s cooling systems and the $5 million increase to the budget for Altgeld Hall renovations.

“The campus chilled water production and distribution utility needs improvement because it is fairly outdated, and the coolant is about to be eliminated,” he said. “Unless we receive funds for it to have an upgrade, it could break down when we most need it.”

The governor hears requests from all educational institutions, not just universities, but his recent focus has been on maintaining and improving higher education.

“Governor Ryan has given us fairly good treatment and intends to preserve or increase all funds for higher education,” Williams said.

Williams explained the request process. He said NIU President John Peters goes over requests and sends them to the NIU Board of Trustees to be endorsed in the fall. Then, each spring, all Illinois public universities and community colleges gather in Springfield to submit requests to the IBHE.

The IBHE meets in December and January, finalizing top priority requests to propose to the Illinois Congress. At that time, the schools again present their needs during a budget request hearing in early April.

“Every school gets an opportunity to state their case in front of Congress about why extra funding is necessary for their school,” Williams said. “Governor Ryan said the budget is tight this year, so it could be a challenge.”

After Congress makes final decisions in June, the budget takes effect July 1. Because NIU is one of Illinois’ largest public universities, it usually receives most of what it requests, but if funds aren’t granted the requests are renewed for the next year.

“We are optimistic due to our large size and necessary requests, such as the Altgeld Hall renovations and the improvement of faculty salaries,” Williams said. “But there are a few renewed projects from last year that desperately need the funding to ensure their future use.”

To increase NIU’s chances to receive extra funding, a group of students and staff members went to Springfield Feb. 21 to address senators and representatives in what Rep. David Wirsing, R-Sycamore, referred to as “NIU Day.”

“That was a real positive day for the NIU community,” Wirsing said. “There were busloads of eager students addressing us, and the steel band performance sent off a good impression that reverberated throughout the assembly.”

At the conference, students assembled, distributing pamphlets containing a summary of the university’s accomplishments and giving speeches to illustrate NIU’s need for funding.

“They spoke from the rotunda of the House, which is setting for a notable demonstration, and adds a Moses-like quality,” Wirsing said. “That is genuine grassroots lobbying that can only elevate their chances at success.”

Wirsing said most of the state’s extra funding is distributed evenly among public state universities, with the exception of the Capitol Bonding List, outlining projects in desperate need of funding that haven’t yet received it.

“This year, NIU has many renewed projects, like their cooling system and the extra $5 million for Altgeld Hall,” Wirsing said. “These do need more money soon. We have already approved those two, which are a large percentage of the state’s entire Capital Bonding List.”