Welcome to NIU!
Fun Facts
1.
NIU once had a zoo! That’s right – A bear, fox, raccoons, coyotes and all kinds of native creatures lived there during Northern’s first decade.
2.
There are 118 buildings on the NIU campus. They range from housing to specialized labs, rec centers to high tech classrooms, playing fields to libraries.
3.
At football games, when NIU achieves a first down the announcer will say, “And that’s good for another Huskie...” then you yell, “FIRST DOWN!”
4.
The voice of Homer Simpson is an NIU alum! Emmy Award winning actor Dan Castellaneta graduated from NIU in 1979!
5.
NIU’s first marching band was made up of just 14 members. They didn’t actually march, but they played at sporting events, pep rallies and social events. The NIU Marching Band now has nearly 200 members.
6.
During its first fifteen years, Northern had no dorms! Students boarded with local families or lived in boarding houses in what is now known as the Ellwood Historic Neighborhood just to the east of campus.
7.
Eventually, NIU’s first dormitory was built in 1913. The all-female building had 87 rooms and was named Williston Hall after President Cook’s middle name.
About NIU
Chartered in 1895, Northern Illinois University (NIU) first opened its doors as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899 as a teachers' school. Since then, we have grown into a large research-focused public institution.
NIU is located about 67.5 miles west of Chicago in the city of DeKalb. (Fun Fact: Barbed wire was invented in DeKalb in 1837.)
There are currently six residence halls available for students to reside in: Gilbert Hall, Grant Towers, Neptune Hall, New Residence Hall, New Residence Hall, Northern View, and Stevenson Towers. NIU's residence halls house over 3,500 NIU students each year.
