A Welcome Letter from President Peters to New Students

August 2010

Welcome to NIU!  Over the next four years, your life will revolve around your classes, building relationships in and out of the classroom with new friends, your professors and joining several of more than 200 student-led organizations from lacrosse to student government to Greek life.  I guarantee that if you peruse our campus organizations and activities, you will find all kinds of opportunities to try something new.  Work out at the Rec, bowl a few games or shoot some pool at the Huskies Den, catch a football game with 25,000 screaming Huskie fans, study in peace and quiet in the library.  Get involved.  College is a time to grow, not only intellectually, but personally as well.

Your NIU education will prove transformational in your life.  While at NIU, our students discover themselves and begin their lifelong journey to realize their dreams. The NIU campus provides a dynamic and energetic culture for learning and personal growth.

Located in the Chicagoland area, NIU is at the center of one of the most dynamic regions in our country. We are serious about shaping and graduating the best thinkers and doers of tomorrow, well-prepared achievers who will tackle issues of our economy, our education and our environment.

The proof rests among our more than 200,000 successful alumni, a number that in a few years will include you.

By selecting NIU, you are choosing to make a difference not only in your own lives but in the future of our nation and our world.  Congratulations!

You are preparing yourself to become leaders in your generation, equipped with the curiosity, knowledge, critical thinking skills and energy needed to solve tomorrow’s challenges.

And tomorrow’s challenges are not small.

Technology and globalism are changing the way the world does business. Many of the old models no longer work, and even many of the new models already are headed that way.

So what does this mean for you?  Three words:   Dream.  Discover.  Do.

Fortunately, you’ve grown up surrounded by technology and have embraced its applications. You are steeped in the ways of “green” living. You understand the importance of community and volunteering and give of yourselves through public service. In other words, you are now part of our NIU family.

So welcome to NIU – and congratulations, again, on making the wise decision to become a Huskie! We’re delighted you are here!

John G. Peters
President, NIU