Western BOT wants action now !

[sealhall74]

The BOT needs to take a look at our meal service plans.  Seems like we are on a desert (not dessert) island forcing students to pay ala carte for everything they eat on campus.  Other public schools have the "X meals per week, all you care to eat" option which is certainly the one I would gravitate to if I was  looking around.  If I am saving my Rocky dollars, what am I saving them for?  A bag of potato chips.  Probaby not.
 

[wiu712]

August 18, 2023 University Assembly:




WIU President: ‘Be bold and be unified’.
From Tri-States Public Radio, WIUM-FM:
https://www.tspr.org/tspr-local/2023-08 ... be-unified
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Tere North]

To finally, after 2 years on the job, say we need to focus on financial stability and enrollment/retention tells you all you need to know at this President's leadership. And to make it worse, he says the lower end is where change is needed, not at the top.

Here's to hoping BOLD at the September BOT meeting is exactly that - only extending the President's contract to June 30, 2024, one year longer than initially, an immediately begin a search for a President who can actually get things done.

[vatusay]

This university has done nothing but continuously shoot themselves in the foot. Somehow it’s hilarious/sad/infuriating all at the same time.  Mostly hilarious, because these people that think they are so important/smart are oh so bad at their jobs. 

[wiu712]

New promotional video:

 
 
 

[Tere North]

Not seeing that how that promo is BOLD.


 

[sealhall74]

WIU invested in the Hope Scholarship program which brought more students from Chicago to the plains of Macomb.  But the Hope Scholarship group failed to inform WIU and others (EIU, NIU, etc.) that these student really lacked the ability to navigate through a 4 year college program.  And at some point, these students stopped going to class because someone wasn't baby sitting them and they arrived at the end of the semester with 0.00 grade points.  They were given the opportunity to come back for the 2nd semester because the money was there for them.  In fact, when WIU started making phone calls to parents about this they were rebuffed with "I want my Joey to get the college experience and its not up to me to worry about them going to class."  Click!  Most of the Hope scholars will be going to school closer to Chicago like UIC and Loyola this Fall.  From what I have heard, we do have 6 students coming back or just started at WIU but they will be closely monitored and will be expected to attend class.  But our retention numbers got hammered by this situation and it seemed to me that AS did not identify this problem until it was too late and students had already received their money for the spring.  She also noted that it was difficult to get faculty to participate in mentoring because they were still teaching from home and not available for a face to face.  This needs to be fixed and I think that KDillards words were right on the money.  

Folks, I love WIU and I want to see it thriving once again.  Lets get it solved and move on.  Oh, the BOT's understand just how important athletics can be to an educational program.  Success leads to notoriety and positive press along with pride in our institution.  We are in the OVC to stay.  jc
 



 

I attended a TEDx event in Davenport on Thursday night.  The CEO of the HOPE program was a speaker.  A very good one as they all were.  One of the tenets of the HOPE program is sending the PARENTS along with the kids to educational opportunites that would normally be beyond their reach. Parents could go to a trade school while kids were off and running at a traditional 4 year college.  His overarching goal is the elimination of poverty so this approach does seem to make sense to me.
 
 
 

[ST_Lawson]

Provost has been removed from his position: https://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.ph ... e_id=19546
Technically he's a faculty member, although he only teaches one "class"...Engineering Senior Project (which sounds like mostly independent study-type stuff). His wife lives in California, so I'd imagine he'll be moving out that way fairly soon.

Associate Provost Mark Mossman is now interim Provost.

[rocki]

Technically he's a faculty member, although he only teaches one "class"...


Am I the only one that finds this kind of stuff completely idiotic???????????????????

[sealhall74]

Technically he's a faculty member, although he only teaches one "class"...


Am I the only one that finds this kind of stuff completely idiotic???????????????????


 

Not as idiotiic as keeping fired President Jack Thomas on board to teach a class or two.  Not sure he ever fulfilled that role though.
Correction, I guess he officially resigned his position as President.