Harper, Northern Illinois to discuss bachelor's degree program

Northern Illinois University and Harper College have agreed to negotiations that could end the Palatine school's controversial four-year quest to offer bachelor's degrees.

In a May 16 letter, NIU officials indicated they would be willing to discuss offering baccalaureate degrees in public safety and technology management on the Harper campus.

The concession by NIU aims to address work-force needs that Harper identified in justifying its proposed baccalaureate programs -- and ends the political tug of war that has pitted Harper against the state's public and private four-year schools.

Both sides have mounted substantial lobbying campaigns designed to influence state lawmakers, who would have to approve Harper's plan.

Harper officials have long said they would pursue only baccalaureate degree programs that nearby four-year schools are unwilling or unable to offer.

Indeed, Harper previously scrapped a proposed baccalaureate program in nursing after NIU agreed to offer the program on the Palatine campus.

A proposal in the state House that would have given Harper the authority to offer baccalaureate degrees in public safety and technology management stipulated that four-year schools would have the right of first refusal to offer the programs locally.

Although approved by the House, the proposed law was rejected by a Senate committee on a 5-4 vote.

Because of fierce opposition by four-year institutions, the proposal never has made it to the Senate floor for a vote.

Harper officials say the 5-4 vote -- and the likelihood that Harper officials could swing at least one and possibly two votes their way -- scared NIU into sending the letter indicating their willingness to negotiate.

NIU officials were not immediately available to comment on the details of -- or reasoning behind -- their decision to negotiate. In a prepared statement, NIU Vice President for Administration and Outreach Ann Kaplan said, "Our position all along has been that the universities and community colleges need to work out these issues in ways that work best for everyone.

"These are serious regional work force issues, and they're important to all of us. It's entirely appropriate that regional legislators expect us to make this work, and we will."

Harper and NIU began preliminary negotiations last year, Harper President Robert Breuder said, but those early talks broke down because NIU argued it already offered similar programs at its Hoffman Estates campus.

Recent letters between Breuder and NIU President John Peters indicate the two sides still have important issues to hash out before an agreement can be reached.

Breuder insists at least 90 percent of both programs must be held face-to-face, rather than online or over video conferencing. Those parameters would significantly increase the cost to NIU.

Peters said in a letter to Breuder that the conditions "must be fully discussed by our academic teams." He added, "That being said, I look forward to NIU offering the courses which meet the needs of the students and professionals in the region we jointly serve."

Breuder said of the correspondence from Peters, "It's mushy. He doesn't come out and definitively say, 'We want to do this.' "

State Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican who sponsored the House proposal and a former Harper trustee, called the correspondence between Harper and NIU a "positive development."

"The four-year programs were supposed to be a last resort on Harper's end," Murphy said.

But Breuder said even if this work-force need is satisfied, another likely will arise that will re-ignite Harper's push to offer baccalaureate degrees.

"We're always delighted to work with them or anyone else, and if they want to do it, then, great. Come and do it," he said. "But at some point in time, (NIU) can't plug every hole. And what happens when we come up with another one? Because we will, if we're listening to the community."