Western Illinois University President Kristi Mindrup does not anticipate making significant changes to her approach as the institution’s leader.
“We’ll continue to keep doing the good work that we’re doing to try to stabilize Western Illinois University,” Mindrup told TSPR after the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to remove the word “interim” from her title.
“I think I personally have the same mindset that I’ve had all along, which is to continue to advance WIU.”
She said removing interim from her title demonstrates there is stability at WIU.
She said the administration will continue working on WIU’s finances and bringing people together for strategic planning.
“It’s important that we remain agile and flexible to both the quickly changing needs of students but also to the ever-evolving landscape of higher education,” Mindrup said.
The board appointed Mindrup president effective immediately on Friday, Dec. 6. The agreement expires on June 30, 2027. Details are still being negotiated and are to be ratified by the board no later than its next regularly scheduled meeting on March 20.
Mindrup is the 13th president in WIU’s history, and the first woman to lead the university. She hopes her appointment inspires female students to see themselves in a leadership role.
Mindrup has worked at WIU for more than 27 years, starting out as a clerk who answered phones at nights and on weekends. She worked her way up through the ranks, and became interim president on April 1, 2024.
Mindrup faced financial challenges immediately upon taking office.
In a letter to the campus community in late spring, Mindrup said expenses exceeded revenues for the past two fiscal years, impacting the university’s cash flow. She said “bold action” was needed to deal with depleting reserves, rising expenses, and declining enrollment.
About three dozen faculty members received layoff notices in late June. Another 89 employees — including some tenured professors — received layoff notices in August, though some of those don’t take effect until after the current academic year.
She said the administration needed to act quickly to address what she referred to as a crisis.
“We now have a little more latitude to be a little more intentional about having inclusive conversations with our students, with our faculty, staff, and our different stakeholders,” she said.
TSPR asked Mindrup about the possibility of more layoffs. She said the administration is assessing the university’s financial picture.
“We’ll be getting together with stakeholder groups to identify the ways that we can further address our cashflow situation that becomes challenging this spring,” she said.
Mindrup said the university is evaluating some programs, something she said universities should always be doing, and she said the administration is also looking for ways to grow the university.
But the financial situation for public universities in Illinois is muddied by projections showing the state faces a possible $3.2 billion budget deficit for next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
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