NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

public, coeducational institution of higher learning in De Kalb, Ill., U.S. It includes colleges of business, education, engineering and engineering technology, liberal arts and sciences, and visual and performing arts. The university offers a range of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs. The College of Law awards a doctorate in jurisprudence. The university operates the Lorado Taft Field campus in Oregon, Ill., and an education centre in Hoffman Estates. Research facilities include the Center for Black Studies, the Social Science Research Institute, and the Center for Burma Studies. Total enrollment is approximately 23,000. The university was founded in 1895 as Northern Illinois State Normal (teacher-training) School. Instruction began in 1899. It became a four-year state teachers college in 1921, and in 1951 it began offering graduate studies. Northern Illinois, part of the state's Regency Universities System, was elevated to university standing in 1957.