Below is a letter from Acting President Freeman regarding the impact of the new state budget. There is retroactive funding in addition to the current year, and the Stevens Building may finally be completed.

Now, any possibility of moving forward with Huskie Stadium renovations????

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A Message from Acting President Lisa Freeman
FY18 Budget Update

July 6, 2017

I am delighted to say that after more than two years, the State of Illinois has a fully funded budget bill.

I applaud our legislators for the bipartisan cooperation required to end a stalemate that has hurt our state, our university and our students. Their actions signal that they appreciate the important role of public higher education in building a prosperous future for Illinois. In particular, I want to thank Representative Bob Pritchard for his support of the relevant legislation.

For NIU, the spending bill provides:

Retroactive funding that will allow us to meet outstanding obligations from FY17.
Retroactive funding to reimburse NIU for the funds credited to student accounts to cover grants awarded through the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) in FY17.
Funding for FY18 MAP grants.
Capital Development Board funding that should allow for completion of the Stevens Building project.
Operating capital for FY18 at a level 10 percent below our allocation in FY15, the last year that we had a full budget.
The receipt of these funds will positively impact NIU’s cash position and alleviate stress on new and returning students who rely on MAP grants, allowing them to focus on their educational goals.

Even though we are grateful for the clarity and security provided by this latest action, it does not alter the fact that we have absorbed a funding shortfall of more than $65 million over the last three years. We must continue the work to enhance the financial stability of NIU by increasing enrollment, becoming more efficient and aligning our resources with our priorities. There will be some difficult decisions ahead, and I pledge that we will tackle these issues together.

Guided by principles of shared governance, mutual respect and transparency in decision-making, my leadership team will seek the best ideas and thinking from everyone in the university community. We will adhere to a very simple proposition — one that I deeply believe in — that the strength of NIU comes from the bottom up and not the top down.

I eagerly anticipate working together to move NIU forward. We will proceed with a unity of purpose, acknowledging that even when we do not fully agree on the means to an end, we share core values and a commitment to the institutional mission.

Go Huskies!

Lisa Freeman
Acting President

I don't understand the kudos this Pritchard guy is getting....he voted NOT to override Rauner's veto so if it were up to him, we would still have no budget and no cash for NIU...does this acting president not know who voted which way?

(07-11-2017 02:47 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I don't understand the kudos this Pritchard guy is getting....he voted NOT to override Rauner's veto so if it were up to him, we would still have no budget and no cash for NIU...does this acting president not know who voted which way?

"In particular, I want to thank Representative Bob Pritchard for his support of the relevant legislation."
What side of the fence is Pritchard on?

(07-11-2017 02:47 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I don't understand the kudos this Pritchard guy is getting....he voted NOT to override Rauner's veto so if it were up to him, we would still have no budget and no cash for NIU...does this acting president not know who voted which way?

Pritchard actually broke ranks with his Republican counterparts and voted to override Rauner's veto.

The whole thing stinks. Illinois was in a budget stalemate for 2 years and in the end they caved in to Madigan and raised taxes with no spending reform to go with it. We waited 2 years for this???

(07-11-2017 04:22 PM)HuskieBowWow Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 02:47 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I don't understand the kudos this Pritchard guy is getting....he voted NOT to override Rauner's veto so if it were up to him, we would still have no budget and no cash for NIU...does this acting president not know who voted which way?

Pritchard actually broke ranks with his Republican counterparts and voted to override Rauner's veto.

The whole thing stinks. Illinois was in a budget stalemate for 2 years and in the end they caved in to Madigan and raised taxes with no spending reform to go with it. We waited 2 years for this???

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today.

(07-11-2017 05:19 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 04:22 PM)HuskieBowWow Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 02:47 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  I don't understand the kudos this Pritchard guy is getting....he voted NOT to override Rauner's veto so if it were up to him, we would still have no budget and no cash for NIU...does this acting president not know who voted which way?

Pritchard actually broke ranks with his Republican counterparts and voted to override Rauner's veto.

The whole thing stinks. Illinois was in a budget stalemate for 2 years and in the end they caved in to Madigan and raised taxes with no spending reform to go with it. We waited 2 years for this???

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today.

65 Million white castle hamburgers. It's all Wimpy's fault. :-)

No Pritchard hid and cowardly did NOT vote on the override so he is trying to have it both ways – and be able to say he did not vote for a tax increase while also saying he helped get the budget passed

And years down the road, when the same problems arise they will all vote to do the same thing: steal more of our money. Hopefully Madigan has kicked the bucket by then because he'll never be unseated unless Chicago becomes its own state.

Guys, we have like ten threads of bitching about the Illinois government. My question was can we get started on the stadium now.

The school is broke. Record low student enrollment in the last ten years. People getting laid off. We cannot even fill our old stadium.
Let us keep our priorities in order.

(07-11-2017 08:59 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  The school is broke. Record low student enrollment in the last ten years. People getting laid off. We cannot even fill our old stadium.
Let us keep our priorities in order.

Moving forward is a priority. If any private/corporate money is available, we need to get back to keeping up with the Jones'.

(07-11-2017 10:34 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 08:59 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  The school is broke. Record low student enrollment in the last ten years. People getting laid off. We cannot even fill our old stadium.
Let us keep our priorities in order.

Moving forward is a priority. If any private/corporate money is available, we need to get back to keeping up with the Jones'.

My hunch is there are no dollars available. While we waited for the project to move forward all of the initial enthusiasm was replaced by lousy football, the excuse of no state budget, and finally the embarrassment of Baker's misappropriations.

In the meantime, the issues of enrollment and affordability will preoccupy the next president. He/she will be challenged by some to consider cutting student fees by reducing the subsidy to intercollegiate athletics, which will place FBS football into the cost-cutting crosshairs.

(07-11-2017 08:59 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  The school is broke. Record low student enrollment in the last ten years. People getting laid off. We cannot even fill our old stadium.
Let us keep our priorities in order.

OMG, a voice of true reason.

I think I am happier burying my head in the sand, not a lot of good news with regards to our University and sports programs. Just win, winning is a key ingredient to turning things around. I hope our kids, future recruits and the like don't read this board, very hard lately on many fronts.

(07-11-2017 10:34 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  

(07-11-2017 08:59 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  The school is broke. Record low student enrollment in the last ten years. People getting laid off. We cannot even fill our old stadium.
Let us keep our priorities in order.

Moving forward is a priority. If any private/corporate money is available, we need to get back to keeping up with the Jones'.

Miller-Coors/Vienna Beef

Need to make it work on a 17,000 enrollment.

(07-12-2017 12:52 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Need to make it work on a 17,000 enrollment.

Should be doable with game times that your donor fans can actually attend without taking 2 days off work.. 8PM starts, 11am Starts, no weekend Nov. games make it unappealing for people to want to spend money on. We're hamstrung with ESPN and the contract that FOIA can't produce.... We have no President, and we don't know what the next one will have priorities. Donors are needed more now then ever, but we need new ones to help the tapped out ones. We've said it all before, and it comes down to AD and marketing with a vision we have the Master Plan, now we need something realistic we can achieve. Break it down etc. Some marketing guru can probably realize this better than I can.

(07-12-2017 02:40 PM)UnknownScout Wrote:  

(07-12-2017 12:52 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Need to make it work on a 17,000 enrollment.

Should be doable with game times that your donor fans can actually attend without taking 2 days off work.. 8PM starts, 11am Starts, no weekend Nov. games make it unappealing for people to want to spend money on. We're hamstrung with ESPN and the contract that FOIA can't produce.... We have no President, and we don't know what the next one will have priorities. Donors are needed more now then ever, but we need new ones to help the tapped out ones. We've said it all before, and it comes down to AD and marketing with a vision we have the Master Plan, now we need something realistic we can achieve. Break it down etc. Some marketing guru can probably realize this better than I can.

And we need a fully staffed Athletics Department and ticket office that address the needs of the fans while operating in a courteous, efficient, and timely manner. Glaring errors should not happen, and fans should not have to repeatedly contact them to get help and have questions answered. This is really not too much to ask, especially now that a budget has been passed. Athletics was not great, but it was so much better when Tim and Kirsten were there. After they left, it's like everything fell off a cliff. And, don't forget, they are also replacing all three positions in the ticket office. Times are rough. I hope this all gets straightened out.

(07-12-2017 02:50 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(07-12-2017 02:40 PM)UnknownScout Wrote:  

(07-12-2017 12:52 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  Need to make it work on a 17,000 enrollment.

Should be doable with game times that your donor fans can actually attend without taking 2 days off work.. 8PM starts, 11am Starts, no weekend Nov. games make it unappealing for people to want to spend money on. We're hamstrung with ESPN and the contract that FOIA can't produce.... We have no President, and we don't know what the next one will have priorities. Donors are needed more now then ever, but we need new ones to help the tapped out ones. We've said it all before, and it comes down to AD and marketing with a vision we have the Master Plan, now we need something realistic we can achieve. Break it down etc. Some marketing guru can probably realize this better than I can.

And we need a fully staffed Athletics Department and ticket office that address the needs of the fans while operating in a courteous, efficient, and timely manner. Glaring errors should not happen, and fans should not have to repeatedly contact them to get help and have questions answered. This is really not too much to ask, especially now that a budget has been passed. Athletics was not great, but it was so much better when Tim and Kirsten were there. After they left, it's like everything fell off a cliff. And, don't forget, they are also replacing all three positions in the ticket office. Times are rough. I hope this all gets straightened out.

Unfortunately, the athletic department is no different than every other department at NIU. Personnel has been let go because of no $$ to pay them. With the state budget being passed, I'm sure that we'll see new faces as the money comes in from the state. Hopefully we will start seeing some improvement over time!

While we are happy there is budget, in an effort to compromise the budget for public education is nowhere near where it used to be. So we still need to operate under the fact that we have to play major "catch up" with a much smaller budget regardless of the state budget being passed.