This was just posted from CBS and state lawmakers are pushing to get another Illinois public school into the Big Ten. Although very unlikely, I don't see any other Illinois schools being able to pull this off besides NIU...

Quote:Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has introduced legislation that would require the Illinois Board of Higher Education to set up a commission to look into having one of Illinois’ 11 other public universities join the Big Ten.

Murphy has said enrollment at the University of Illinois has become so competitive, many students with top grades and test scores don’t make it in, and end up going to Big Ten schools in other states. He thinks more would go to schools in Illinois if another public university were in the Big Ten.

The Unviersity of Illinois is the only public university in Illinois in the Big Ten. Northwestern is a private university (the only private university in the Big Ten), with a much smaller enrollment and much higher tuition than the public universities in the conference.

His proposal has the backing of former Northwestern linebacker and current state Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor), and was unanimously endorsed by the Senate Higher Education Committee on Thursday. The measure now goes to the full Senate.

If the measure were approved, the Board of Higher Education would have to set up an 8-member committee to study the feasibility of having another Illinois university join the Big Ten. The committee would have to file a report by next year.

The other public universities in Illinois include Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Springfield, and Western Illinois University.

State lawmakers have no official say in whether a university would actually apply to join the Big Ten, much less whether the conference would approve such a move.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/03/21/s...-illinois/

B-b-but, the University of Chicago IS already a BIG 10 school. Not in athletics though. Its been in that group for years! Well they WERE a member but they still are affiliated with the BIG 10. Not many people realize that.

EDIT: My bad....maybe they DID include UofChi because its not listed in the rest of the Illinois schools. *corny game show buzzer* ehhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

You've heard about the Russian defense of Stalingrad in WW II? It would pale in comparison to the Big 10's defense against NIU joining its ranks.

(03-21-2014 03:44 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  You've heard about the Russian defense of Stalingrad in WW II? It would pale in comparison to the Big 10's defense against NIU joining its ranks.

Exactly, let alone any of the state's other public schools...

Won't happen. No other school in the state has the facilities or budget to join the Big 10. And in the economic mess this state is in, I do not see the state willing or able to support any school's move to the Big 10.

A more likely scenario? Get Notre Dame in the Big 10 and annex NW Indiana through South Bend to Illinois.

On a related note, legislators propose all kinds of crazy stuff that will never go anywhere.

How much would you guys pay for season tickets if NIU had a big 10 schedule?

But yeah, not going to happen. Doesn't NIU have to be a research institution or something like that to even qualify for the Big 10?

(03-21-2014 04:00 PM)PrideinthePack Wrote:  But yeah, not going to happen. Doesn't NIU have to be a research institution or something like that to even qualify for the Big 10?

We are a research institution. I'm not saying our academics are on par with big 10 schools across the board, but we are certainly a PhD grandting research institution.

This is funny. Politicians are morons

Um...ok

What we need...50mil football stadium expansion, 50mil for upgrades to all other athletic facilities, 500mil for a medical school and overall support to obtain AAU membership.


How about they just help us to get into the B12?

Good call about the Big 12. I'm going to write to him via his website. Probably won't get a response back but I'd like to ask if he even thought of the Big 12.

(03-21-2014 04:31 PM)PrideinthePack Wrote:  Good call about the Big 12. I'm going to write to him via his website. Probably won't get a response back but I'd like to ask if he even thought of the Big 12.

keep in mind he is not specifically talking about NIU to the B1G.

Maybe though we could convince him that a B12 school along with 2 B1G schools would be just as good...if not better for the variety.

How about making the Illness play every year. That would have the same effect.

(03-21-2014 04:46 PM)HuskieJ Wrote:  How about making the Illness play every year. That would have the same effect.

Us playing Illinois in any sport every year would do very little at attracting IL high school students who are leaving the state to get an education at another B1G school.

(03-21-2014 04:59 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 04:46 PM)HuskieJ Wrote:  How about making the Illness play every year. That would have the same effect.

Us playing Illinois in any sport every year would do very little at attracting IL high school students who are leaving the state to get an education at another B1G school.

That's it. The thing they're trying to point out had literally nothing to do with sports. In this case B1G = top end public university. And they want one that focuses on Illinois students, Or at least to shame UI into focusing back on Illinois.

It just happens that being the clear #2 (or 1a in their idea) leads to being in a bigger conference.

This is one of the dumbest ideas from a politician and one of
the dumbest threads I've ever read.
Work on paying our bills instead.
What a waste of time.

(03-21-2014 05:51 PM)DogTracks Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 04:59 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(03-21-2014 04:46 PM)HuskieJ Wrote:  How about making the Illness play every year. That would have the same effect.

Us playing Illinois in any sport every year would do very little at attracting IL high school students who are leaving the state to get an education at another B1G school.

That's it. The thing they're trying to point out had literally nothing to do with sports. In this case B1G = top end public university. And they want one that focuses on Illinois students, Or at least to shame UI into focusing back on Illinois.

It just happens that being the clear #2 (or 1a in their idea) leads to being in a bigger conference.

U of I needs the money from foreign and out of state students. That is why Illinois home grown students are having a tough time getting in.
ISU is getting the spill over of top students not NIU.

(03-21-2014 03:58 PM)DogTracks Wrote:  On a related note, legislators propose all kinds of crazy stuff that will never go anywhere.

This is why Illinois is broke and people are leaving because they waste time on stuff like this

Coming from the current student perspective:

After seeing the whole thing about NIU trying to Re-Inventing themselves (making a 10 minute campus and all that other great stuff), I think just about anything is possible. I don't look at all the numbers and sometimes don't care, I just look at the positives/possibilities. Sadly our university doesn't really live up to B1G standards, but were the closest to them out of the rest of the state.

I grew up at Chicago State Univ. (my grandmother was a teacher there), the school is in the hood -__- they would literally have to spend money buying up surrounding houses to weed out all the thugs and drug dealers (which would never happen, so CSU would NEVER be B1G). EIU, GSU, NEIU, SIU-C&E, UIS, and WIU I just couldn't see. ISU and UIC would be our only competition getting in. UIC sports just about suck in every aspect, but the school is basically a bus ride or 2 away from downtown Chicago (beautiful/perfect location), plus their academics are clearly better than ours and ISUs. ISU, i personally just dont like or care about ISU, just an overrated place to me. So I'd hope and pray NIU gets the nod. Show them that in athletics were making improvements, academics... lets keep that a hush... campus, we clearly have a blueprint to revamp the place, were making things happen. Lets all pray that something that sounds as ridiculous as this actually happens.