$40M donation to NIU to help fund $87M health care center, marks university’s largest single gift

The largest single gift in Northern Illinois University’s history will close the funding gap on a proposed $87 million health care educational center, which is on track to be built starting in 2026, the university announced.

The Baustert Family Foundation will donated $40 million, a “transformational gift [that] will directly support the development of NIU’s future home for health professions education and transdisciplinary research,” NIU said in a news release.

The new center – to be named the Baustert Bahwell Health Technology Center – will be built at the northwest corner of Lucinda Avenue and Annie Glidden Road, between NIU’s main campus and west campus, according to the university’s website. The site is the current location of Lincoln Residence Hall, which is scheduled for demolition in 2025.

The state of Illinois Capital Development Board designated $77 million for the project, of which $7.7 million has been spent on planning and design efforts that began in 2022. Construction is estimated to cost $87 million.

NIU is where my parents met and began their lives together. This gift is a marriage of a need by NIU and focus of interest from our family. It stands as a culmination of my parents’ legacy in the medical device industry and their support of education and research. NIU’s plans for the Health Technology Center were a perfect fit for us.”

—  Jeff Baustert, son of James and Theo, Baustert Family Foundation spokesman

The center will feature community health care clinics, providing a one-stop community health resource for audiology, physical therapy and speech-language pathology; research, teaching and innovation spaces filled with the most up-to-date laboratory, research and simulation facilities; and student and faculty spaces designed to foster collaboration.

There will be study and breakout spaces, a student lounge, a grab-and-go café, and a faculty and dean’s suite, as well as seminar rooms, medium-sized classrooms for 35 to 70 students, larger classrooms for up to 150 students, and lecture and event spaces.

The donation by James and Theo (Bahwell) Baustert, made through the Baustert Family Foundation, includes $10 million to close the gap on construction costs; $14 million for future programmatic development, including the acquisition of technology, faculty endowments and student scholarships; and $14 million held in a restricted facility endowment maintenance fund, according to the news release. The remaining $2 million is designated for the Northern Fund in its support of emerging projects at the university.

NIU President Lisa Freeman said the $40 million donation has almost left her speechless. She said she has a great appreciation for how the gift will enrich the students who attend NIU, the university itself and the community.

“To me, transformational is the right adjective for this gift,” Freeman said. “It’s a tremendous vote of confidence in the university, and this initiative, the Health Technology Center, is one that touches all of our colleges.”

James Baustert co-founded Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., a former St. Paul, Minnesota-based manufacturer of implantable cardiac rhythm management devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, in 1971. The company was acquired by Eli Lilly in 1978 and is now a subsidiary of Boston Scientific.

“NIU is where my parents met and began their lives together,” said Jeff Baustert, son of James and Theo who serves as Baustert Family Foundation spokesman. “This gift is a marriage of a need by NIU and focus of interest from our family. It stands as a culmination of my parents’ legacy in the medical device industry and their support of education and research. NIU’s plans for the Health Technology Center were a perfect fit for us.”

Freeman said she hopes the center will encourage students to attend NIU and empower them to be better prepared for their career fields when they leave the university.

She said she also is excited to see how the center will encourage collaboration across multiple colleges.

“[The center] offers tremendous opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to be leaders in health care delivery and outcomes,” Freeman said. “And we are just going to be able to do so much as a result of this gift, not only in terms of the new building, but in terms of programming.”