University Budget Address

[Tere North]

Friday's Board of Trustees meeting has been moved from the Capitol Rooms to the Grand Ballroom. They must be expecting a large crowd.

They moved it before President Thomas asked to delay the budget/layoff discussion. Still will be interesting to see what happens, especially if any athletics questions come up.

[ST_Lawson]

BOT approved the 3% tuition reduction for Fall 2016 new students. Trying to get enrollment back up, which will hopefully bring in enough money to offset the reduced tuition.

[tweet]677895390927020032[/tweet]

EDIT - Also hearing that the out-of-state rate has been eliminated. Same cost for all students.

For the curious, Lainie Steelman is a reporter with the Voice (local newspaper) and she's tweeting news from today's BOT meeting: https://twitter.com/LainieSteelman

[ST_Lawson]

Full release here: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php ... e_id=13194

Essentially, postponed staff reduction until later meeting to be scheduled once everyone is back for spring semester, approved tuition reduction (as mentioned before), approved demolition of Higgins Hall, Lamoine Village, and East Village, also (of interest to athletics), approved the replacement of lower bleachers/seating in Western Hall.

They also have the priorities set for budget recommendations...if they ever get any money from the state...which start with the new science building construction.

I have not heard any mention of anything involving athletics at this point, other than the approval of replacement seating at Western hall.

[sealhall74]

Back again to ask a dumb question. I stayed in Higgins for a year. Seemed like a nice residence hall at the time. Granted, we don't need it any more for student living. But would it be technically feasible to just knock off a few (almost all really) floors from the top of the building, do some remodeling of what is left and call it a Visual Arts Center?

[meganeck]

Scott, as always appreciate you keeping us out-of-towners informed on what is going on.

[WIU0812]

Higgins has structural foundation issues. It would cost a large sum of money to stabilize a building of its size if it is even possible. I also suspect that carefully dismantling it down to a suitable size would cost a large sum as well, possibly as much as it costs to demo the building and build a smaller one in its place after.

[ST_Lawson]

Higgins has structural foundation issues. It would cost a large sum of money to stabilize a building of its size if it is even possible. I also suspect that carefully dismantling it down to a suitable size would cost a large sum as well, possibly as much as it costs to demo the building and build a smaller one in its place after.

What he said.

It would cost more money to fix it than to tear it down, and it would cost more money to do a "halfway dismantle" (may not even be possible...I'm not an engineer) than it would be to tear it all down and build something new in it's place (or wherever they'd prefer it to be).

Plus it's kinda out of the way for an academic building. Eventually the plan is to (if needed), build some smaller dorms...similar to the new Grote Hall...nicer rooms/suites, only like 3ish floors...maybe some for married or grad student housing. But until then I think the plan is to turn that area and a good portion of the Higgins parking lot into green space.

[sealhall74]

Is there any place I can get a headcount of our grads by major and minor? A couple different reasons for asking. Main one is I have a fair chunk of change in my will headed there and just like to know if we are still cranking out students in programs I am comfortable with. Also info that might come in handy for my container project which I am still researching (may not be as much cost-saving as I originally thought) and I may actually pursue some sort of federal grant ("green" project) to see if it will fly. I would like to involve several university departments (construction, art, physics, etc.)

[Tere North]

Is there any place I can get a headcount of our grads by major and minor?

Institutional Research and Planning has this info. Here is the URL to their current "Fact Book," which is produced each year.
http://www.wiu.edu/IRP/FactBook2015-2016.pdf

[sealhall74]

Is there any place I can get a headcount of our grads by major and minor?

Institutional Research and Planning has this info. Here is the URL to their current "Fact Book," which is produced each year.
http://www.wiu.edu/IRP/FactBook2015-2016.pdf

Thanks Tere