Tri States Public Radio has confirmed that a top administrator at Western Illinois University is no longer with the school. Dr. Joe Rives was Western's Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and Initiatives & Vice President for Quad Cities. He oversaw the Quad Cities campus.
In response to a query from TSPR, University Spokesperson Darcie Shinberger replied, “Dr. Rives is no longer employed at WIU.” Further details were not provided.
Rives joined WIU in 2005 as the Assistant to the President for Planning and Budget. He began overseeing the Quad Cities campus in 2008.
Rives' vitaesaid he came to WIU from Illinois State University, where he was Director of University Planning and Institutional Research
Rives’ vitae said he engaged in the first comprehensive fundraising campaign for the Quad Cities campus, surpassing its $8 million goal. Another accomplishment listed on the vitae: the $1.9 million asset transfer of WQPT-Quad Cities Public Television from the Greater Quad Cities Telecommunications Corporation to WIU.
In addition, the vitae said Rives was named Quad Cities Man of the Year (May 2015) by the Moline Dispatch/Argus for leadership in education, community and economic development, and public service.
But Rives was also part of the previous WIU leadership team that was unable to turn around declining enrollment numbers. And that leadership team repeatedly violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act (OMA) in 2018. During a recording of one closed door meeting, Rives said, “For the (board) retreat, if you have a closed session in personnel, that’s an opportunity to continue discussions about programs and program reductions in closed session.”
OMA requires discussions about programs and program cuts to be held in public.
New Leader for QC Campus
WIU Interim President Martin Abraham named Dr. Kristi Mindrup the Interim Administrator in Charge of the Quad Cities campus. The appointment takes effect immediately.
Mindrup was the Assistant Vice President for Quad Cities Academic Affairs, a position she has held since August 2009. She joined the WIU-QC staff in 1997 and was named instructional technology systems manager in 1998.
She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College Student Personnel program at WIU.
