Athletics NIU Athletics houses 18 NCAA Division-I intercollegiate sports, over 400 student-athletes and is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In order to remain competitive within the MAC and furnish the resources necessary to provide quality educational and athletic opportunities, the athletics department aggressively recruits fans, alumni and friends to contribute to the Huskie Club. With the reduction of state-appropriated funding for athletics and the escalating costs of scholarships, travel, recruiting, facilities, sports medicine and other operating costs, the importance of the Huskie Club and its members continues to grow. Annual Giving Within the Huskie Club, donors may elect to contribute to either the unrestricted fund or restrict their gift to a specific sport or program. Monies received for the unrestricted fund support the general athletic scholarship fund, as well as the department's operating costs. Gifts directed to a specific sport will be used to help achieve the priorities of that sport as determined by the head coach and the athletics director. Gifts-in-Kind Gifts-in-kind such as automobiles, apartments, and services (for example, hotel rooms and restaurant credits) are welcomed and considered donations to the Huskie Club. Huskie Club Gift Levels Scholarship - $5,000 Director - $2,500 Victory - $1,000 Cardinal - $500 Charter - $250 Century - $100 Partner - $50 Endowments Several endowed scholarship funds have been created to honor individuals and provide long-term support for outstanding scholar-athletes and athletic programs. To establish a scholarship, a minimum gift of $10,000 to the university is held in perpetuity and a portion of its earned income is used to support program expenses and scholarships. Excess earnings and appreciation are added to the principal to protect its value in perpetuity. For more information on athletic endowments and to review the benefits of the Huskie Club, please visit the athletics Web site at http://www.niu.edu/athletics/huskieclub/. Contact Us Northern Illinois University Huskie Club 123 Evans Field House DeKalb, IL 60115 (815) 753-1923 FAX (815) 753-7700 Stacy Allie Assistant Athletics Director/External Affairs sallie@niu.edu (815) 753-1801