Click on the slide!

Proven Experience

Over four decades, the Center has worked with scores of communities throughout Illinois and portions of Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana.

Click on the slide!

Prepared for Success

We know first-hand that this part of the American Heartland has significant assets that can produce long-lasting success in the 21st century global, knowledge economy.

Click on the slide!

Ready for Growth

Our region has many assets on which to build, including our excellent regional transportation and telecommunication systems, a well-educated and diverse population of more than 11 million people, entrepreneurial businesses and financial organizations that produce hundreds of billions in Gross Domestic Product annually, world-class institutions devoted to science and technology, and metropolitan Chicago’s global economic engines.

Click on the slide!

A Call to Action

In honor of our 40th anniversary, the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) is inviting 180 leaders to attend a unique gathering that will identify priorities and actions that we can pursue together to help bring prosperity back to America’s Heartland.

Frontpage Slideshow (version 2.0.0) - Copyright © 2006-2008 by JoomlaWorks

The Center for Governmental Studies

The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) at Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public service, applied research, and public policy development unit within NIU Outreach. CGS functions as a “think and do tank", applying the intellectual resources of the university to address public issues facing communities, the region, the state, and the nation.

Founded in 1969, CGS has an interdisciplinary, full-time professional staff of more than 35 people with doctoral and masters’ degrees in fields such as public administration, public policy, history, geography, business, economic development, computer science, mathematics, and statistics. We assemble interdisciplinary teams to work directly with community leaders in governmental and non-governmental organizations to deliver the following types of services.

  • Policy analyses in specialized fields such as regional and local economic development, community development, growth management and sustainability, workforce education and training, human service planning and needs assessments, economic and fiscal impact analysis, program design and evaluation, and performance reviews.
  • Development of innovative initiatives that cut across the boundaries of these specialized fields in order to improve the quality of life for all residents.
  • Customized management consulting services for governmental and non-governmental organizations including strategic planning assistance, development of collaborative networks and strategic alliances, implementation plans, wage and salary assessments, project evaluations, and others.
  • Development of customized information systems that can be used to measure performance and improve the effectiveness of public programs.
  • Management services for associations of professionals who conduct the public’s business in both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
  • Applied research reports that provide information to decision-makers and the public about important issues facing the region, the state, and the nation.
  • Professional development programs and executive education services designed to bolster the skills of decision-makers and to expand public participation in local, regional, statewide, and national policy making.

The professional staff of CGS is dedicated to advancing the capabilities of government at all levels and helping build the civic capacity of non-governmental organizations.

http://www.niucgs.org/
 
Copyright 2009 by NIU Center for Governmental Studies