ISU President Announces Salary Freeze to Avoid Deficit, New Residence Project Abandoned

NORMAL (25News Now) – When it comes to the state of Illinois State University, there’s good news and bad news.

The good news is that enrollment is increasing, with a record number of new students. In addition, various construction projects are progressing.

Bad news includes a pay freeze for staff and the cancellation of plans to build a new university residence.

In his annual State of the University address, Aondover Tarhule said ISU had to cut spending, so staff would not see a pay rise this year.

“Given the urgency to significantly reduce our spending beginning this fiscal year, it is my regrettable duty to also announce that the State of Illinois will not implement a campus wage program this year,” the president said.

The reduction in public funding for higher education is putting a strain on finances at a time when the costs of running a university continue to rise, Tarhule said.

“Next year, if we do nothing, we will be in deficit on general revenue, which funds most of the salaries,” Tarhule said. “So we are trying to assess what we need to do to avoid that deficit.”

Raising tuition fees to cover rising expenses is “no longer tenable,” Tarhule said, because of questions about the value of a college degree and a reluctance to take on significant debt.

Tarhule said renovations to the art classrooms were completed in January and a new nursing simulation center recently opened. Tarhule has advocated for federal funding for a new STEM building. He hopes construction on that project can begin next fall.

Despite continued enrollment growth, efforts to add more on-campus housing have stalled.

“The project was put on hold during the COVID pandemic. Since then, significant increases in construction costs have made it impossible for Illinois State to move forward with the original plans,” Tarhule said. Instead, he said the administration is “considering creative options for various partnerships to address the need for additional housing on campus.”

Tarhule said the school is seeing an increase in enrollment, with a 2.7 percent increase over last year. About a third of those students come from underrepresented groups.

Pro-Palestinian protesters stood at the forefront of the stage for much of Tarhule’s speech.

Student protesters stand in front of the stage with pro-Palestinian placards during... — Student protesters stand in front of the stage holding pro-Palestinian signs during ISU’s 2024 State of the University address.(25News now)

After his speech, he took two questions from the audience. Students asked Tarhule about his handling of staff contract negotiations and the campus protests against the war in Gaza.

It was Tarhule’s second time on stage, but his first as a full president.

He was installed as president earlier this year, after serving as interim president and before that Tarhule was provost and vice president for academic affairs.

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