Eastern Illinois University President Jay Gatrell issued a hiring freeze across campus effective immediately at his spring update Tuesday morning in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.
The hiring freeze is one of the plans aimed at balancing Eastern’s budget that Gatrell discussed during the update. He said that he thinks balancing the budget will take two years to accomplish.
To reach this two-year goal, Eastern implemented cost saving measures including the elimination of both tennis teams and the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program.
“We’re being intentional about spending our money on the highest priority items,” Gatrell said after the update. “For example, how do we determine travel [for athletics]? How do we have those conversations?”
In total, the plans as part of the two-year path to a balanced budget will result in a reduction of roughly $3.5 million in salary costs by the end of fiscal year 2027, Gatrell said.
Additionally, Gatrell said roughly $545,000 will be saved in administrative salaries as a result of campus reorganization via mergers, but specifics of each merger were not discussed during the update.
Gatrell said after the update that he anticipates presenting the finalized merger proposals to the EIU Board of Trustees in April, with approval in June and implementation July 1.
The impact of mergers on students won’t be noticeable as the mergers target a department or college’s structure rather than its curriculum or graduation requirements. The merger proposals come from within the merging departments rather than upper administration.
Enrollment
Enrollment statistics were briefly presented by Gatrell during the update.
These statistics were provided via graphics at the event and showed a 45% increase in first-year students, a 19% increase in transfer students and a 56% drop in international students compared to last year.
The challenges international students face when going through the VISA process are the reason for the decreased enrollment in that category, Gatrell said after the update.
“It’s a challenge in the current policy environment,” he said. “We have lots of international students who are admitted to Eastern. We have lots of international students who have the capacity to study here in terms of finances. The real challenge is, can they get a VISA? and What’s the current environment?”
Gatrell also said the fall to spring retention for first-time students who started in the fall increased by 1.9%.
Curriculum
Gatrell said 25% of seats in 1000 and 2000 level courses are unoccupied across campus, which means the enrollment cap in courses is 7% lower than the average in 2014.
To combat this, Gatrell said offering fewer sections would help fill these unused seats while allowing the university to continue offering smaller and more specialized 3000, 4000 and 5000 level courses.
“Our goal remains to continue to provide personalized, engaged learning environments and enliven our mission and ensure every student can access the classes they need to graduate on time,” Gatrell said.
Campus infrastructure
Nearing the end of the update, Gatrell talked about upcoming projects to improve campus infrastructure.
One such project is the utility tunnel repairs that will begin in April. Repairs will start on the north side of campus, between Pemberton Hall and Old Main. Repairs will then move south across campus, according to Interim Provost Holly Farley.
Farley also said each section will take two to three months to complete, with the final section between Buzzard Hall and the Renewable Energy Center taking a whole year.
Another project is the construction of a Pemberton Hall Welcome Center, which is moving forward with a development team currently conducting a feasibility analysis and hopes of a small fundraising campaign beginning next year, Gatrell said.
Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
