Despite the thousands of dollars poured into NIU every year through tuition and other sources, additional funds still are needed — and most often they come from Springfield.

Every year, the Illinois Board of Higher Education accepts extra funding requests from public universities and community colleges throughout the state. Robert Albanese, NIU’s associate vice president for finance and facilities, reviews what the university asks for.

“Persuasiveness is key,” Albanese said. “The state considers proposals from hundreds of schools statewide, and our job is to make sure NIU’s requests become a high priority for the state.”

Every request can’t be satisfied because of limitations on the state’s available resources. NIU departments that need extra money must first request funds at the beginning of each spring semester, submitting estimated cost, background and project justification. A senior cabinet recommends top-priority requests to the NIU Board of Trustees in April. Those requests are approved by the board in June and submitted to the IBHE at the beginning of September.

NIU’s capital improvement requests, mostly for state-funded construction projects, will reach over $35 million for 2002.

The most commonly accepted proposals for state dollars are improvements to buildings or building systems, new faculty positions, new equipment or utility improvements, according to the Office of the Executive Vice President.

“Our wish list of projects mostly stays similar every year,” Albanese said. “We usually need various street repair and new building projects first, and, if we are lucky, they will be in the state’s top 25 priorities.”

Usually, projects under $1 million aren’t part of the state budget process because they are taken care of directly through the NIU budget. Exceptions include recurring projects such as elevators, steam tunnels, boilers and other utilities.

Capital Renewal Projects, or requests less than $500,000, and Regular Capital Projects, requests of more than $500,000, are the two categories of capital improvement requests made to the state.

“The smaller renewal projects are important, but are not pushed as much because of higher-priority projects that are more desperate for funding,” Albanese said. “Usually a project will eventually receive the extra funding after renewing it year after year.”

Of nine Regular Capital Projects at NIU, the Stevens Building renovation and improvements in chilled water production and distribution are the top two.

Another is better air conditioning.

“We have the modernization of our air conditioning systems as our top priority, because our old ones are about to break down,” Albanese said. “That will most likely receive the extra money from the state.”

Other Regular Capital Projects include renovations to Wirtz, Reavis, Watson and Gilbert halls, along with projects at the off-campus Hoffman Estates Education Center.

Of NIU’s five priority Capital Renewal Projects, the most expensive is fixing utilities along the Campus Pedestrian Plaza, from the King Memorial Commons west to University Circle to Stadium Drive and Annie Glidden Road.

“There is a flooding problem on campus, especially around the Campus Pedestrian Plaza,” Albanese said. “It was our top renewed priority proposal because we need to do something about re-routing the local creeks, or it will eventually become an extremely serious problem.”

Other Capital Renewal Projects include the Stevens Building roof replacement and other elevator and roof repairs.