Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

[Tere North]

So what do you think? Have looked at both slides! Thoughts? jc

Ideas need results. They still only think they now why students don't come and don't stay. Until they make the effort to hear from the students, including those who leave and go elsewhere, and actually hear what the students say instead of what the administration want to year, all the plans in the world cannot work.

With incoming Fall 2018 freshmen now looking like only 900, they better show some marked improvement for Fall 2019, or encouraged believers will also fall by the wayside.

Note, we had a strategic plan through 2020. Now we have a new one 2017-2027. Unless you achieve all your plans early, starting a new one before you finish the old one means you've failed, and in our case, don't want to admit it, so you come up with a new one to generate excitement. So, do we wait to see if by 2027 we have reached and sustained the 10K goal. Between Fall 2019 and Fall 2026, that means we need to add a net 2K, or in that 7 year time frame, a net 300 students/yr.

[rocki]

I was not impressed. And for God's sake, will someone tell Mr. Thomas we "establish" things, we don't extablish them.

[wiu712]

WIU Details Academic Re-alignment.
From Tri-States Public Radio, WIUM-FM:
http://tspr.org/post/wiu-details-academic-realignment


Re-organization at Western Illinois University.
From WGEM News:
http://www.wgem.com/story/38657824/2018 ... university


WIU announces plan for the future; academic courses re-aligned.
From KHQA-TV-7 News:
https://khqa.com/news/local/wiu-announc ... -realigned

[Tere North]

I was not impressed. And for God's sake, will someone tell Mr. Thomas we "establish" things, we don't extablish them.

And we provide access, not assess - 2 VERY different words

Between Thomas' enunciation and Rives Afghani beard and serious continued eye blink/twitch, we do not exactly put our best foot forward.

[rocki]

I was not impressed. And for God's sake, will someone tell Mr. Thomas we "establish" things, we don't extablish them.

And we provide access, not assess - 2 VERY different words

Between Thomas' enunciation and Rives Afghani beard and serious continued eye blink/twitch, we do not exactly put our best foot forward.

Yes, it was painful to both watch and listen to. Maybe I'm just too picky, but listening to the university prez mangle the English language really doesn't inspire confidence that Western is a high quality school (even though we weren't responsible for educating either of them).

[wiu712]

Western Illinois University announces academic structural changes.
From KWQC-TV (Davenport):
http://www.kwqc.com/content/news/Wester ... 43801.html


WIU re-organizing colleges, adding online degrees.
From the Moline Dispatch / Rock Island Argus:
https://qconline.com/news/local/educati ... 1ed84.html

[wiu2013]

I was not impressed. And for God's sake, will someone tell Mr. Thomas we "establish" things, we don't extablish them.

And we provide access, not assess - 2 VERY different words

Between Thomas' enunciation and Rives Afghani beard and serious continued eye blink/twitch, we do not exactly put our best foot forward.

Yes, it was painful to both watch and listen to. Maybe I'm just too picky, but listening to the university prez mangle the English language really doesn't inspire confidence that Western is a high quality school (even though we weren't responsible for educating either of them).

As I lurk around this board frequently without commenting, I would be remiss if I did not reply to comments made today. Regardless of your thoughts of WIU, President Thomas, Dr. Rives, or administration, does not give anyone the right to "personally attack" the person, their looks, or language. What is an "Afghani" beard? Is it possible that Dr. Rives may have some medical condition that makes him twitch? Could President Thomas' enunciation be from him growing up in the south? None of us are perfect, so we definitely should not be throwing stones at others due to looks, speech, etc. when we are ALL living in glass houses. I am not defending the administration or the way they have handled some of the challenges that WIU are facing, but I am also not going to stand by and allow others to speak poorly "make fun of" others and not address it.

[ST_Lawson]

And we provide access, not assess - 2 VERY different words

Between Thomas' enunciation and Rives Afghani beard and serious continued eye blink/twitch, we do not exactly put our best foot forward.

Yes, it was painful to both watch and listen to. Maybe I'm just too picky, but listening to the university prez mangle the English language really doesn't inspire confidence that Western is a high quality school (even though we weren't responsible for educating either of them).

As I lurk around this board frequently without commenting, I would be remiss if I did not reply to comments made today. Regardless of your thoughts of WIU, President Thomas, Dr. Rives, or administration, does not give anyone the right to "personally attack" the person, their looks, or language. What is an "Afghani" beard? Is it possible that Dr. Rives may have some medical condition that makes him twitch? Could President Thomas' enunciation be from him growing up in the south? None of us are perfect, so we definitely should not be throwing stones at others due to looks, speech, etc. when we are ALL living in glass houses. I am not defending the administration or the way they have handled some of the challenges that WIU are facing, but I am also not going to stand by and allow others to speak poorly "make fun of" others and not address it.

Agreed. Criticize their policies, decisions, other aspects of their job that have fallen short, but let's lay off the personal criticisms.

[Tere North]

Agreed. Criticize their policies, decisions, other aspects of their job that have fallen short, but let's lay off the personal criticisms.

While I agree, even though I posted, what is concerning is how others see us through the images of those who speak for us. That is the problem, not a person's individual idiosyncrasies, but how those reflect on the larger whole when those individuals are speaking to the populous and representing the university.

[rocki]

Hmmmm. I never realized that expecting proper elocution/diction from a college president (and commenting when said person does not use the same) was a "personal attack". I'm guessing we expect the same from our university graduates - teachers in particular - and don't think it is too much to ask from a person who is highly ranked in academia.

I will give you the eye blinking/twitch as being something that might be beyond one's control; and thus should not be ridiculed, however I don't find a person's speech patterns to be in a category that could be considered a disability. On that we can agree to disagree. (Likewise the beard - it's his face, he can do whatever he wants with it, but I found the beard to look unkempt and had he been someone I was advising before a job interview would have suggested he neaten it up).