Featured in this batch of fun facts: NIU’s 1st president -President Cook- used to drive students to and from the boarding houses to the Castle, the voice of Homer Simpson -Dan Castellaneta- graduated from NIU in 1979, and the NIU Supermileage team earned top honors at the Shell Eco-marathon international competition last year by creating a super efficient gasoline-fueled vehicle that achieved 1,525 miles per gallon!


NIU HISTORY

In 1899, NIU’s athletic teams were nicknamed the Profs. In the 1920s, they were the Cardinals. During the 1930s they were called Evansmen after George Evans. The current Huskie mascot and nickname wasn’t chosen until 1940!

NIU’s first president – President Cook loved cars! He was one of the only people on campus to own a car and he enjoyed giving students a ride from the boarding houses to the Castle.

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.

NIU CAMPUS

The Huskie Food Pantry is a source of nutritional food, experiential learning and service for the NIU community. It is open every Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

NIU’s Public Administration program is consistently ranked among the best in the nation.  Last year the specialty of local government management within the MPA program was ranked 4th in the country!

The NIU Supermileage team has earned the “super” in its name – and then some! Last year the team took top honors at the Shell Eco-marathon international competition in California when the gasoline-fueled vehicle students created achieved a whopping 1,525 miles per gallon. That’s nearly the distance from DeKalb to California—all on a single gallon of gas.

NIU ALUMNI

The voice of Homer Simpson is an NIU alum! Emmy Award winning actor Dan Castellaneta graduated from NIU in 1979!

Stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is an NIU alum! He has starred in comedy specials for Comedy Central and Showtime, appeared on shows like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted the 2019 MTV VMAs, and had roles in films like Green Book and The Irishman.

Three-time Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Joan Allen is an NIU alum! Joan has appeared in movies such as The Contender, The Bourne Supremacy, Nixon, and Face/Off. She was born in Rochelle and graduated from NIU in 1980.

One out of every 12 teachers in Illinois is an NIU graduate, and one out of every five Illinois school superintendents went to NIU.


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