Western BOT wants action now !

sealhall74 · Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:00 am

From what I read in the June 2022 blurb from WIU, they were expecting around 30 HOPE students. How many actually showed up for fall semester?

Tere North · Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:03 am

sealhall74 wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:00 am From what I read in the June 2022 blurb from WIU, they were expecting around 30 HOPE students. How many actually showed up for fall semester?

Unfortunately, they don't provide the support the HOPE students need to be successful.

sealhall74 · Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:07 am

Tere wrote:Thu Jan 01, 1970 5:01 am
sealhall74 wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:00 am From what I read in the June 2022 blurb from WIU, they were expecting around 30 HOPE students. How many actually showed up for fall semester?

Unfortunately, they don't provide the support the HOPE students need to be successful.

OK, but if it was only 30, these recent trend numbers have less to do with the HOPE students than the rest of the student population..

Tere North · Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:08 am

WIU strategic plan is for a student to faculty ratio of 17:1. We are currently at at 13:1 ratio. Since tenure protects full-time teachers, they need to be the ones teaching, not hiring adjuncts to do the job.

WIU strategic plan ignores and we don't report student to administrator ratio. But I'm willing to bet there are way too many administrators.

We need to be lean and mean and make those faculty/administrator cuts and be here for the students.

Personnel is the higher expenditure and where cuts will make a permanent improvement.

sealhall74 · Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:19 am

Tere wrote:Thu Jan 01, 1970 5:01 am WIU strategic plan is for a student to faculty ratio of 17:1. We are currently at at 13:1 ratio. Since tenure protects full-time teachers, they need to be the ones teaching, not hiring adjuncts to do the job.

WIU strategic plan ignores and we don't report student to administrator ratio. But I'm willing to bet there are way too many administrators.

We need to be lean and mean and make those faculty/administrator cuts and be here for the students.

Personnel is the higher expenditure and where cuts will make a permanent improvement.

IMHO, WIU should be innovative in other ways as well. Certain classes could restructured as "One Fail, All Fail". Students as well as faculty should be responsible for the success of all students in the class. I once had a JH Math teacher who would NEVER reward a student with a straight A if they did not do the extra credit work as well. Some college kids could earn that extra credit by acting as mentors to those who need help, even knocking on their dorm door to wake them up and drag them into the classroom. Think back about that movie "An Officer and a Gentleman". Zach could have set the base record for the obstacle course but instead he chose to help a struggler just to get a passing score.

Advertise your campus as a place for Zachs.

Leatherneck10 · Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:04 pm

The 17:1 ratio was created by a former bean counter administrator who had no pedagogical expertise. It was not supported by research nor was it based upon what’s best for student learning. It was purely a fiscal calculation. It’s time for it to be revisited and retired.

Tere North · Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:46 pm

Leatherneck10 wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:04 pm The 17:1 ratio was created by a former bean counter administrator who had no pedagogical expertise. It was not supported by research nor was it based upon what’s best for student learning. It was purely a fiscal calculation. It’s time for it to be revisited and retired.

It was based on comparatives across the country and fiscal responsibility. Sure, 1:1 would be best, but c'mon, you can't afford that.

And have 13 instead of 17 does not make you a better teacher.

sealhall74 · Mon Jul 31, 2023 8:16 pm

Tere wrote:Thu Jan 01, 1970 5:01 am
Leatherneck10 wrote: Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:04 pm The 17:1 ratio was created by a former bean counter administrator who had no pedagogical expertise. It was not supported by research nor was it based upon what’s best for student learning. It was purely a fiscal calculation. It’s time for it to be revisited and retired.

It was based on comparatives across the country and fiscal responsibility. Sure, 1:1 would be best, but c'mon, you can't afford that.

And have 13 instead of 17 does not make you a better teacher.

What is the criteria for being a counted faculty member in that ratio? Do Grad Assistants also count? How about the library staff?

wiu712 · Tue Aug 08, 2023 10:45 pm

WIU enrollment numbers down from last school year.
From KHQA-TV:
https://khqa.com/news/local/western-ill ... chool-year#

Neckfansince71 · Wed Aug 09, 2023 9:06 am

For some reason I am not surprised by this. Its time we worry about quality and not quantity. If quality goes up, so will enrollment. WIU really took it on the chin with the Chicago Hope kids last year and I think we are at 6 Hope Scholarship recipients this year. I am sure that WIU and Hope are ready to do what ever they can to create a successful environment for these students. There was a reception and send off downtown for all the Hope Students and low and behold there is a young lady standing next to a table representing the "Purple and Gold!" jc;)

"There is a change a coming!"