NIU Foundation records all-time-highest gift totals in FY2000   Gifts received by the NIU Foundation totaled more than $12 million in FY2000 - an 84 percent increase over the previous year's record total.   Several major gifts in the fiscal year which ended on June 30th swelled NIU's endowment - the critical permanent funding base used to assess the strength of a university's overall private funding reserves - to more than $20 million dollars. That total represents a 24% increase over the previous year; by comparison, Northern's endowment stood at less than $6 million just five years ago.   Adding in non-gift income (such as funds from NIU's Pepsi contract and revenues from the Alumni Association credit card), and documented commitments from donors pledging life insurance policies and other long-term gifts, total Foundation activity for FY2000 topped $14 million.   "It's been a wonderful year," said Foundation President Mallory Simpson. "I think what we're seeing is predictive of how well we can do, and how much our alumni and friends value Northern Illinois University."   "Our investment performance has been good, but the real difference has been in cash gifts," Simpson added. " The increase in cash and the increase in the endowment are due to good development work."   Northern's Huskie Telefund, the student-staffed telephone solicitation program, surpassed $1 million in pledges for the first time in FY2000 - another fundraising first for NIU.   "We're building momentum," explained Mike Malone, vice president for development and university relations. "Our alumni are responding and voicing their support of Northern with their pocketbooks, and that's very gratifying for the entire NIU community."   New NIU President John Peters, who started at Northern just before the end of this record fundraising year, said he is excited to begin his tenure at NIU on such a positive note.   "Every university president I know would be thrilled to see these types of increases in private support," Peters said. "It speaks very highly of our faculty and staff, who have provided the positive experiences that alumni and friends respond to so generously," he added.   A sampling of major gifts contributing to the record fundraising totals include: $250,000 to the College of Law from alumnus Kenneth Chessick $100,000 from David and Linda Nelson for the School/University Partnership program $500,000 from an anonymous donor to create a challenge grant for the School/University Partnership program $75,000 from Thomas and Patricia Callahan in memory of their daughter, former NIU student Kathleen M. Callahan $240,000 pledge from South Shore Bank for scholarship support $3.5 million gift of land from Shoe Factory Road LLC for expansion of NIU-Hoffman Estates $150,000 from GTE (now Verizon Communications) for the School/University Partnership program   In addition, the Foundation this year established its first charitable gift annuity program, formally launching NIU's deferred giving program.   More news ...