Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University, located in DeKalb, Illinois, is the second largest university located in the state of Illinois. It was founded on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as a satellite campus for the Illinois State Normal School (now Illinois State University), located in Normal, Illinois. The DeKalb campus was originally called Northern Illinois State Normal School. Today named Northern Illinois University, it has become an independent public university, and has grown into a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a student enrollment of more than 25,000-larger even than its parent school.

NIU's main campus is located about 65 miles (104 km) west of Chicago. The DeKalb campus can be easily accessed via I-88 which runs east and west from Chicago. Illinois Route 38, also known as Lincoln Highway, runs along the southern border of the NIU campus. NIU also operates satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon, Illinois....