Martin Abraham

The ball was in Dr. Martin Abraham’s court last week.  It was up to Western Illinois University’s interim president to decide what course of action to follow as concerns about the spread of the coronavirus increased rapidly.

Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio announced it hired Dr. Jack Thomas to serve as the ninth president in school history. Central State is a public, historically black university with an enrollment of 2,100.

The interim president of Western Illinois University used the start of the new semester to deliver an upbeat speech to faculty, staff, students, and community members.  Dr. Martin Abraham told the audience in the University Union Grand Ballroom that he believes WIU's struggles are in the past.

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees (BoT) split right down the middle on whether to name Dr. Martin Abraham as the school’s next president.  Tri States Public Radio spoke with a board member from each side of the issue to get their thoughts.   

The Western Illinois University Board of Trustees has held 11 public forums on campus and in the community to gather input about the search for the school's 12th president.

Dr. Martin Abraham acknowledged he was nervous before Thursday's meeting of the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees (BoT). "It's a big decision, a lot riding on it both for me and the university – and the community too, quite frankly," he said.

The head of Western Illinois University said plans are already in the works to attract more students, though it might take a couple years to turn around enrollment numbers that have declined for more than a decade.

Acting WIU President Dr. Martin Abraham took part in his first University Assembly  Thursday morning, delivering a nearly hour-long speech to hundreds of faculty, administrators and staff members in Western Hall on the Macomb Campus and to countless others watching online. The bulk of his time was spent on a single topic.

Dr. Martin Abraham moved to Macomb a few weeks ago to serve as the new provost at Western Illinois University. But following Dr. Jack Thomas' decision to step down as president, Abraham has been thrust into the role of acting president.