On Tuesday, NIU president Lisa Freeman delivered her State of the University address.
Freeman laid out two major challenges: a chaotic federal government and a $30 million budget deficit.
As for the federal government, she indicated that she felt like she had to start her speech by addressing the elephant in the room.
“Let me first acknowledge that we are in a new era,” said Freeman. “One where government policies, orders, and rhetoric threaten the individuals and work we champion. In this new era, our university community is scrutinized because we value support and give voice to individuals with diverse lived experiences.”
The president said the university is actively grappling with how to respond to “intentionally ambiguous guidance” on issues like diversity initiatives. Freeman said they’ll follow the law, but they won’t waver from the university's values.
Freeman celebrated the university’s research accomplishments. She also mentioned that NIU was a named school in the state’s complaint about the federal government’s plan to cut indirect research funds, which has now been blocked in federal court.
NIU is a research university, and federal grants and contracts account for over one-third of its external funding. A group of NIU graduate students also spoke out at the event, advocating for better pay and support for graduate assistants who conduct a lot of research on campus.
As for the budget deficit, she said they have a plan.
“When we closed fiscal year 2024 with a $30.1 million deficit, the NIU Board of Trustees gave us two specific financial goals to achieve," she said. "The first is to cut the deficit in half to $15 million by the end of this fiscal year, and the second is to achieve a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026 which starts July 1.”
The president said that means changing how the school spends not just for one year, but for the foreseeable future. They’ll be building department budgets from the ground up, looking for efficiencies and eliminating unnecessary tasks.
Freeman said her goal is to get to a sustainable place without resorting to furloughs.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s newly proposed state budget would include a 3% across the board funding increase for public universities like NIU, but Freeman said state support just hasn’t increased enough to offset their increased expenses.
The university also launched a website NIU.edu/budget that includes information about NIU’s expenses, revenue, budget restrictions, & state appropriations.
During the address, Freeman also celebrated the growth of scholarship programs like Huskie Pledge and the number of students who don’t pay any tuition or fees out of pocket.
