As the 1950s gave way to the early 1960s, statewide planning for higher education focused on accommodating a huge increase of students (from 2,000 at NIU in 1950 to 18,000 by the mid-sixties).

Among the methods used to finance new facilities was a massive state bond issue of $195 million presented to voters in a statewide referendum. NIU and its sister institutions lobbied hard for passage: one PR stunt involved a long-distance relay, with student runners starting in Carbondale and ending up in Chicago.  Daily media coverage of the run brought attention to campus needs, as did editorials such as one in the suburban Daily Herald headlined, “You Can’t Argue With the Stork.”

Eventually the referendum passed, and NIU received about $15 million (approximately $130 million in today’s dollars) to cover the construction of ten new buildings, two new wings for the library and various rehab projects. Most of the state-funded facilities were classroom and office buildings, including Watson, Faraday, Graham, Wirtz, Cole, DuSable, Reavis, Zulauf and Lowden halls.

In addition to proceeds from the state bond issue, NIU issued its own self-liquidating bonds to construct residence halls (Lincoln, Douglas, Grant and Stevenson), the Holmes Student Center, the Chick Evans Field House, and Huskie Stadium.

As former President Monat wrote in his history of the university, “The campus community must have viewed this period as a single extended construction project.”

Students from NIU’s Geovisual Mapping Laboratory created an online map showing how the DeKalb campus has evolved into the vibrant community we see today. Read the NIU Today article.

Click on photos to enlarge