Northern Illinois University vs Southern Illinois University

The main campus sits on 756 acres in DeKalb and includes 64 major buildings. Additional campus sites include, the Lorado Taft Field Campus (144 acres), Rockford Campus (10 acres), and the Naperville Campus (11.2 acres).

Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Holmes Student Center houses several lounges, computer labs, restaurants, and the University Bookstore. It is home to the Huskies Den, which features bowling, billiards, a video arcade and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming. The Holmes Student Center also houses a 78-room hotel. The lower level of the Holmes Student Center reopened after renovations were completed in January 2020. The renovations include a convenience store, the University Bookstore, a Starbucks, the Huskie Den Grill, bowling & billiards, and a wealth of seating. NIU's residence halls (including two complexes with four 12-story towers each) provide several living options to on-campus students. On the west side of campus is Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, the home of NIU football games, which also often hosts other outdoor events. Huskie Stadium, which has a seating capacity over 30,000, is surrounded by large open grassy areas which provide recreation, and also serve as the tailgating lots for football games. There is also a baseball field, Ralph McKinzie Field; a softball field, Mary M. Bell Field; a soccer field, Huskie Soccer Complex; and tennis courts, Gullikson Tennis Courts, which flank Huskie Stadium. The Student Recreation Center is the main facility for Recreation Services. The building, serving approximately 2,000 patrons daily, features services to meet students' recreation, fitness and wellness needs. NIU has more than 400 student organizations, including recreational sports clubs such as lacrosse, volleyball, rugby, swimming, and ice hockey. Groups embrace interests from academics, advocacy, athletics and the arts to community service, ethnicity, politics, language studies, and religion.

SIU offers a number of modern amenities for the benefit of its students. These include the Student Services Building, the Student Center, Morris Library, the Student Recreation Center, and the Student Health Center. The Student Recreation Center, or "Rec," is the university's primary hub for intramural and fitness activities. Most of the Rec's budget is raised by a student recreation fee included in students' fees, meaning individual students do not need to pay for entrance or membership. The Student Health Center is connected to the Student Recreation Center on the east side of campus. Southern Illinois University's intercollegiate athletic teams are collectively known as the Southern Illinois Salukis. SIU has a vibrant student culture and is home to more than 300 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). Student groups include honor societies, sports clubs, fraternities and sororities, religious organizations, student governments, and other special interest groups.

Jerry M. Anderson, 9th President of Ball State University
Gregg Andrews, labor historian and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas State University
Judith Curry, climatologis

Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author
Steve Harris, actor, Emmy Award nominee, The Practice
Wood Harris, actor, Remember the Titans and The Wire

Lionel Antoine – Former NFL offensive tackle
Houston Antwine – Former NFL defensive lineman
Charles Basch – Professor of health education at Teachers College, Columbia University
James Belushi – Actor and comedian, star of According to Jim, Saturday Night Live, and other films
Jim Bittermann – CNN European correspondent based in Paris
Gus Bode – Satirical news commentator and amateur comedian