DEKALB -- The president of Northern Illinois University says he's pleased that Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed the state's new Campus Security Enhancement Act.

The law was written partially in response to the February 14th shootings at the DeKalb campus that left five students dead when a gunman opened fire in a classroom before turning the weapon on himself.

Blagojevich signed the legislation Friday.

NIU president John Peters says that the school already has adopted many of the provisions in the new law and continues to work on them.

The law requires public and private higher education institutions in Illinois to draw up emergency response and campus violence prevention plans by Jan. 1.