The committee approved a delegation of authority to the university president or designee to approve necessary and proper expenses related to Northern Illinois University's participation in a potential postseason bowl game, if the team qualifies and the university elects to participate.
The nut: trustees authorized administrative discretion for timely bowl-related logistics while retaining an expectation of transparency and a subsequent report to the full board.
The motion asks that the president or designee may approve contracts and expenses related to bowl participation including ticketing, travel, lodging, rentals, insurance, meals, broadcast rights and related services; required reporting of actions to the board was noted.
Trustees discussed the financial and branding trade-offs. Trustee Eric Wasowitz stressed the board will not approve spending that would produce a large deficit and said the decision should consider earned-media value and donor engagement. President Freeman (referred to in committee remarks) outlined benefits: celebratory experiences for student-athletes, visibility for the university, opportunities for donor engagement and community outreach, and academic and community achievements tied to athletics. She said decisions would be based on the bowl conditions, expenses and the university's best interest, and would be made with transparency to explain reasoning at the time.
The committee approved the delegation by voice vote and requested that actions taken under the delegation be reported to the full board at its Sept. 25, 2025 meeting.