College of Law Northern's College of Law is committed to providing a high-quality educational experience to a wide and diverse range of gifted students seeking the best in legal education. The College of Law combines strong preparation in the foundations of the law along with practical experience. Its students are nationally recognized for their commitment to public interest. Funding Priorities for the College of Law include: Endowed Scholarships Private support through endowed scholarships helps the College of Law attract a diverse and high-quality student body. As the cost of higher education increases and state funding decreases, the university relies on the generous support of Northern's alumni and friends to continue making higher education accessible to all deserving students. Endowed scholarship funds exist in perpetuity because it is a portion of the interest income from the endowment, not the principal, that serves as the source for scholarship funding. Preserving the principal enables law students to benefit from your generosity year after year. Faculty Support Support for College of Law faculty can come in several forms, including funds for research and travel. Especially significant is funding for endowed chairs and professorships, which helps the university attract outstanding scholars and provide the funding necessary to support those scholars' teaching, research, and professional development activities. David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library The David C. Shapiro Memorial Law Library is the cornerstone of the College of Law. In addition to serving the needs of the students and faculty of the College of Law, its facilities also are available to members of the bar, their agents, law school graduates and members of the general public as well as the university community. Private support allows the library to purchase a wide variety of reference and research materials, ensuring that Northern's law students, faculty, and public have access to the latest in research and scholarship. Technology Technology is an increasingly important part of a law student's education. Private support from Northern's friends and alumni helps the College of Law provide its students and faculty with the state-of-the-art equipment and classroom materials they need, from "smart" classrooms featuring cutting-edge media resources, to access to computerized research systems. Contact Us: For more information about giving opportunities in the NIU College of Law, contact: The NIU Development Office at (815) 753-1386 or email us. Visit the College of Law Web site at http://www.niu.edu/claw/index.htm.