According to the 2025 U.S. News and World Report rankings, Eastern Illinois University has been named the top independent public regional university in Illinois and is ranked seventh in the region for best value with a second place recognition for social mobility among all public universities across the 12-state Midwest region.
“It’s an incredible achievement, and I couldn’t be more proud of our EIU community for the dedication and hard work that led to this recognition,” EIU president Jay Gatrell said.
This was the final statistic and sentiment Gatrell closed out his fall update with, resulting in thunderous applause in the Dvorak Concert Hall in the Doudna Fine Arts Center on Wednesday morning.
Faculty members and alumni alike gathered from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., as Gatrell listed statistics, outlined future plans and awarded recognitions to staff members.
In addition to the above-mentioned rankings, EIU secured the 54th spot among all regional universities in the Midwest.
Despite a hectic year with uncertainty surrounding the FAFSA and a decline of 10.5% FAFSA form completions, EIU welcomed the most students on campus since 2016, said Gatrell.
Gatrell expressed his gratitude by awarding the financial aid team the 2024 presidential service award. Other recipients include Darren Donaldson, Michelle Morgan, Matt Boyer, Mona Davenport and Mandi Starwalt.
The increase in the student population on campus also saw the food pantry see increased visitation with 5,819 student visits and 1,325 unique visits, he said. The food pantry also received 7,844 lbs. of non-perishable food items via donations.
Plan 2028 was also briefly mentioned during Gatrell’s address to highlight future plans on campus including new degree opportunities, a program in the College of Health and College Services to train service professionals in rural areas, and for the office of research and sponsor programs to continue the proposal development fund, the program innovation fund and student impact grants.
No further information regarding these efforts was mentioned during the update, but Gatrell promised that more details were to come later and said that all of these future plans would “seek to create a campus that reflects our interests and values.”
Regarding things that are already present or coming soon, there is a lot of maintenance to be found around campus.
Roofing repairs are underway across campus, most notably at Buzzard Hall and Lantz Arena. Lantz Arena is also undergoing water maintenance.
O’Brien Field also saw new additions such as a sound system, LCD video board and scoreboard. Gatrell mentioned during his address how these improvements will be used to help benefit events on campus like football games and the state track meet.
Smaller projects have also appeared around campus such as the campus mural and spirit rock.
Gatrell also briefly discussed the importance of staff wellness before transitioning into explaining the salary for non-negotiated campus employees. The salary will utilize a hybrid approach with a $1,000 base raise and a 0.5% increase starting in June.
More financial information was revealed regarding donors as EIU received $6.5 million in donations and pledges from 3,984 unique donors in 2024, a 10% increase in donors and a 25% increase in total dollars, according to Gatrell.
The Weekend of Champions was also helpful in raising funds, as the event raised over $600,000, said Gatrell.
Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at lsbrewer@eiu.edu.
