A couple efforts underway at Western Illinois University seek to engage everyone in helping move the institution forward.
Anew WIU
The University Professionals of Illinois, which represents faculty, is promoting a project called Anew WIU.
Merrill Cole, president of the UPI chapter at WIU, said the institution could use more state funding, but the university community also needs to think about how it can adapt.
“Not just for our students in 2024, but also for us. For all of us who work here, and for all the people who benefit from having Western Illinois University in their community,” he said.
Cole said Anew WIU will hold its kickoff event on Jan. 29, 2025.
The plan is to bring in a national-level expert in education, but it’s also designed to bring together faculty, staff, students, and community members to come up with ideas and decide on the best way forward for WIU.
“I have my own ideas about how to make the university better. But I don’t have a complete picture, and I don’t know that anybody does,” Cole said.
“But I’m hopeful that if we can get everybody together in an honest conversation, that we can really break through and make some positive changes that will affect everyone.”
He said the campus community needs to break out of the silos that prevent people from different departments or colleges from collaborating with one another and team-teaching courses.
He hopes Anew WIU is a step toward improving communication across the university.
Insights and Innovation
That’s also the general idea behind the administration’s get-togethers called “Insights and Innovation: Imagining a Bright Future for WIU.”
More than 70 faculty and staff members participated in the first 90-minute session on Thursday on the Macomb campus.
They emphasized the importance of mentoring students and reaching out to help those who are struggling academically. They also talked about the social mobility opportunities WIU provides to its students, and they want Western to actively engage in outreach around the region.
Interim President Kristi Mindrup said the gathering was the start of a process. She hopes it’s an ongoing conversation.
She felt energized after the session, and is looking forward to what also comes from Anew WIU.
“The ability to call people together doesn’t just lie with the president. It rests with all of us. So I’m thrilled about this opportunity for each of us to share opportunities to bring the university community together to look to the future,” she said.
Mindrup said WIU has a strategic plan, but added that higher education is changing and that the institution must respond.
“This is an opportunity to listen to the expertise of our faculty and staff to hear what their priorities are for our students, for our region, for the ways we serve students in our curriculum, and how we can work together to accomplish those goals,” she said.
Cole said the faculty have been engaging in similar conversations with the administration.
“We are trying to work in synergy here,” he said.
As an example of that, Mindrup and Cole spoke together with reporters after the “Insights and Innovation” meeting.
More such sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 3 on the Quad Cities campus and Wednesday, Dec. 4 on the Macomb campus.
Mindrup said the administration is still focused on Western’s financial stability and they’re looking for ways to adjust operations.
She said they’re also still working to get adequate funding from the state by supporting Illinois Senate Bill 3965, the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act, which was unveiled in late July and introduced in the legislature last month.
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