NIU partners with Turtle Beach Co. for collegiate esports

DeKALB – Northern Illinois University will partner with Turtle Beach Co. to support the university’s collegiate esports.

Turtle Beach will provide scholarships to student-athletes who demonstrate leadership.

The company also will provide NIU Esports teams and Esports Arena with various performance-driven PC gaming peripherals.

“Turtle Beach and NIU share guiding principles of positive and healthy gaming, and this program will recognize and reward those NIU Esports students who show they can lead as well as they game,” Turtle Beach board Chairman Terry Jimenez said in a news release. “As an NIU alum and adjunct professor, I’m excited to merge two passions by having Turtle Beach join forces with NIU’s top esports program.”

The $2,500 Turtle Beach Leadership Awards will be presented annually to two NIU Esports varsity athletes. The scholarship recipients must be athletes who support their teammates and demonstrate sportsmanship.

“Partnering with Turtle Beach is a wonderful opportunity for our student gamers attending NIU,” Rena Cotsones, NIU outreach, engagement and regional development vice president, said in the release. “NIU Esports and Turtle Beach share a deep commitment to building community and promoting healthy and safe gaming practices. Their scholarships will help promote continued leadership and sportsmanship within our teams.”

Turtle Beach also will provide the NIU Esports Arena 65 full PC gaming peripheral setups. The arena opened in 2022. The NIU Esports Arena is home to NIU Esports varsity teams that compete in the Esports Collegiate Conference.

“The equipment Turtle Beach is providing for the NIU Esports Arena will create a more consistent, responsive gameplay experience during open play, varsity matches and special events,” NIU Esports Director Conner Vagle said in the release. “Moving forward, thousands more casual and competitive players visiting the arena each year will benefit from us having the latest top-performing PC gaming gear from Turtle Beach.”

The new PC gaming equipment includes Turtle Beach’s responsive, customizable and programmable Vulcan II TKL Pro keyboards, the Burst II Air mice, Sense Core Mini mousepads and Elite Pro 2 headsets. Turtle Beach also will provide 10 Atlas Air headsets.

“NIU Esports players now have some of the fastest, most responsive and top-rated PC gaming peripherals at their disposal,” Turtle Beach Corp. CEO Cris Keirn said in the release. We’re looking forward to NIU Esports players combining their best performances with our premium gaming gear.”

NIU Esports in an inclusive program for gamers of all backgrounds, abilities and skill levels to play video games.

Turtle Beach Corp. is one of the world’s leading gaming accessory providers known for designing gaming headsets, game controllers, PC gaming peripherals and gaming simulation accessories.

For information, visit turtlebeach.com, niu.edu/esports or turtlebeachcorp.com.