Thirty seven of the projects within Plan 2028 have seen progress this year with nine already completed and one yet to start, according to Eastern Illinois University President Jay Gatrell. 

Gatrell said all of these projects fall under the plan’s four main pillars: Achieve, Engage, Create and Resource. 

“Those names are distilled. They’re intentionally verbs,” said Gatrell. “We have to be willing to identify and chart our own pathway forward in a way that reflects our mission in our community, our values and every person in our campus community.”

This update included a total of six different speakers alongside Gatrell who shared with the faculty in attendance what projects in their respective departments are working on to meet the goals outlined by Plan 2028. 

Acting Dean of Student Success Michael Gillespie started the presentations by talking about expanding affinity-based housing and living learning communities under the Achieve pillar. 

One of these projects is the implementation of StarRez, a new housing software that will allow for greater flexibility for residents to apply for specific LLCs, according to Gillespie. 

Examples of these LLCs include Lumpkin College’s new LLC, the college of education’s early childhood education active learning space in Buzzard Hall and Booth Library’s family hub, which Gillespie described as a “dedicated resource designed to support student parents and EIU employees with families.” 

In addition to StarRez’s implementation, Gillespie said other existing software will see redesigns in the future such as STRONG programs– classes aimed at assisting Eastern in the recruitment, retention and graduation of the Black and Latino communities.

John Blue, the executive director of the office of belonging, access and engagement, provided insight into new and existing STRONG programs such as the newly revived STRONG S.H.E. program during his presentation under the Create pillar. 

“The whole purpose of the initiative is to actually assist these students and developing not only academically, but as professionals and as future leaders,” said Blue. 

Blue also discussed the Village Project, a program created to assist students who have experienced the foster care system in some sort of way and provide resources, mentoring and a new summer immersion program. 

Following Blue, Interim Director of Facilities Planning and Management Eric Wahls reiterated that the final report from the facilities reinvestment plan was released earlier last month.

The summer immersion program will begin this summer and run from July 27 to July 29 where roughly 20 participants can experience what campus life is like, according to Blue. 

Laretta Henderson, dean of the college of education, and Mindy Spencer, vice president for university advancement, spoke about the second pillar Engage. 

Henderson highlighted how the college of education is bringing education to students via alternative methods compared to the on-campus experience. 

The department does this by recruiting both students who briefly took a hiatus from courses and off-campus students into specific degree programs, according to Henderson. 

For example, one program is interdisciplinary studies that will soon be moving out of the department of education and into the office of student success. 

Spencer spoke after Henderson about fundraising campaigns involving Eastern alumni. She said the campaign is still in the planning phase. 

One event she did explicitly mention is an upcoming alumni event on April 25 at Warren James Winery. 

“Advancement work is comprehensive,” said Spencer. “It is a long night engagement.” 

Spencer spoke on the final pillar Resource where she said Eastern now has new scholarship funds for students with themes that align with donors. 

Some of these funds include the first-generation student fund, emergency student fund and education and innovation fund. 

Vice President for Enrollment Management Josh Norman closed out the pillar and the presentations by briefly discussing enrollment management plans. 

Norman said this year’s enrollment plan had 116 initiatives in place since August with 45 completed, including three new scholarship programs for the 2024-2025 academic year, 51 in-progress and 20 not yet started. 

“It may have been a little too ambitious,” said Norman. 

Norman also said that some of these in-progress and yet to be started initiatives will overlap into the enrollment plan for the 2025-2026 enrollment plan which is now underway. 

Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at lsbrewer@eiu.edu.