Northern Illinois University announced Feb. 23 it will offer a bachelor's degree program in public safety through Oakton Community College in Des Plaines beginning this June.

At a conference located at the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy headquarters, 2300 Patriot Boulevard in Glenview, administrators from NIU, Oakton and NIPSTA came together to share new details and recognize those who worked to put the program together in less than a year’s time.

Speakers at the event included NIPSTA President Tim Wiberg, NIU President John Peters, Oakton President Margaret B. Lee, NIU Provost Raymond Alden, Oakton’s Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Hamel and the Village of Winnetka’s Chief of Police Joseph De Lopez.

The new BSAM degree was recently approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and is available for police officers, firefighters and emergency management personnel with an associate's degree from a community college.

At her time at the podium, Lee announced she had signed papers that very morning that marked an additional opportunity for first responders seeking higher education. Oakton plans to offer two initiatives: the first would provide up to three tuition waivers available for in-district public safety personnel and NIPTSA members, and the second would offer in-district tuition rate to voting members of NIPSTA who live outside of District 535.

At the conference, Peters emphasized the importance of a solid education in conjunction with proper training for public safety personnel, referencing the incident in which a former NIU student opened fire in a lecture hall in February 2008, killing five students and himself.

“I can’t tell you how important training is—I know we would not have had the kind of response we did for our tragedy,” Peters said.

The three involved groups—NIU, Oakton and NIPSTA—have created a new pathway of collaboration, Peters said, and are creating leadership opportunities for the health and safety personnel of northern Illinois.

“The most important theme here is the regional application to solving regional problems,” Peters said. “NIU serves the region and can help local community colleges find a way to cross boundaries. We’re bringing people together to cooperate, coordinate and share resources.”

In his speech, Alden continued to recognize the importance of the three-way partnership of NIU, Oakton and NIPSTA, and said he hopes this collaboration will serve as a model for future inter-institutional cooperation.

“We’ve really broken free from outdated restraints, and I hope it will be a robust regional partnership between two- and four-year degree institutions,” Alden said. “We will continue to work together to advance the public agenda and serve Illinois’ citizens.”

De Lopez closed the conference by expressing his gratitude to both educational institutions involved for their collaboration with NIPSTA.

“[At NIPSTA], we are truly on the fringes of education,” De Lopez said. “You have helped us accomplish that mission. Thank you to all who have made this a reality for us.”

By Bridget Doyle
TribLocal reporter