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Eastern Illinois University

Strategic Planning

EIU'S Strategic plan: PLAN 2028

Welcome to Strategic Planning at EIU! We want to make EIU’s next cycle of Strategic Planning as inclusive and meaningful as possible for all University stakeholders — students, faculty, staff, and community partners alike.

Plan 2028 Tracking

On June 23, 2023 the Board of Trustees endorsed EIU’s new strategic plan, Plan 2028, at its most recent meeting. As you will see, Plan 2028 aligns with the IBHE’s “A Thriving Illinois” framework and advances EIU’s mission, the region, and state by focusing on four interconnected themes:

Achieve

Achieve: Achieve Success for All Learners

ACHIEVE priorities align and invest in policies, practices, and resources that ensure every learner at EIU thrives. The ACHIEVE activities comprise a broad collection of strategic investments and student success supports. For Eastern Illinois University, ACHIEVE focuses on retention, learning outcomes, creating and maintaining active learning environments, adequate financial assistance, degree completion, career preparedness, and student wellness. ACHIEVE priorities leverage EIU’s commitment to student success using a holistic array of academic and other organizational supports.

Engage

Engage: Engage the Community, Region, State, & World

ENGAGE priorities are intended to build bridges between and amongst its internal and external stakeholders to expand and enhance the everyday worlds of EIU’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, and communities at all scales. ENGAGE seeks to build collaborative opportunities for inclusive economic development, regional prosperity, and personal growth. ENGAGE deepens EIU’s connection and commitment to the region, State, and world.

 

Create

Create: Create a 21st Century Campus & Culture

CREATE priorities evidence a sustained commitment to all employees and students by cultivating belonging and creating a culture of care for all. CREATE accelerates efforts to innovate, invigorate, and reaffirm EIU’s unique institutional identity. Echoing the IBHE’s strategic plan, Plan 2028 advances EIU’s shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students, employees, and community members. CREATE activities focus on investing in employee and learner wellness, knowledge creation, creativity, and belonging.

Resource

Resource: Encourage Innovation, Diversify Revenue, & Grow Enrollments

RESROURCE priorities focus on overall institutional sustainability, staffing, and enhanced business practices. The theme of RESOURCE will ensure that EIU’s budgeting process, operations, and enrollment management efforts focus on sustained financial stability and invests in the strategic priorities of Plan 2028. This priority also ensures compliance with federal and State regulations, as well as financial benchmarks established by Eastern's regional accreditation body, the Higher Learning Commission.

 

Implementation

EIU is driven by its mission and vision, placing deliberate emphasis on fostering student success, bolstering the economy of the State of Illinois, and serving regional, state, and national stakeholders. Plan 2028, aligned with the Illinois Board of Higher Education's strategic plan, "A Thriving Illinois," is an extension and complement to it. The IBHE plan specifically focuses on harnessing the potential of higher education to promote equity, sustainability, and inclusive economic growth.

Plan 2028 at EIU revolves around four interconnected themes: Achieve, Engage, Create, and Resource. This comprehensive approach encompasses 14 strategic initiatives identified by the campus community, supported by 35 target activities that will be evaluated annually using designated performance metrics or key performance indicators. Each theme of Plan 2028 will be overseen by dedicated "Champions" and responsible lead offices or divisions.

To ensure continuous progress, Theme Champions and members of the implementation teams for each theme will convene at least once a year. During these meetings, they will assess overall performance, review and revise goals, and present a summary of the strategic plan's progress in a public town hall. The valuable feedback obtained from these annual updates will provide Plan 2028 with the necessary flexibility to be revised and updated as required to remain effective and relevant.

The Taskforce

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Jeremy D. Alexander Jeremy D. Alexander Senior Associate Director of Residence Life jdalexander@eiu.edu 217-581-7692
1405 Martin Luther King Jr University Union
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Crystal Brown Crystal Brown Associate Director, Office of Leadership and Engagement cmbrown6@eiu.edu 217-581-3967
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Greg Cooper Greg Cooper Assistant Professor of Photojournalism gacooper@eiu.edu View Profile
Molly M. Fasnacht Molly M. Fasnacht Associate Director of Admissions, Assistant Director for Campus Visits mmbutton@eiu.edu 217-581-2299
1213 Old Main
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Danny Gourley Fischer Danny Gourley Fischer Director, Academic Advising Services dgourleyfischer@eiu.edu 217-581-2313
1110 McAfee
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Jay D. Gatrell Jay D. Gatrell President & Professor of Geography jgatrell@eiu.edu 217-581-2011
1126 Old Main
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Michael D. Gillespie Michael D. Gillespie Director, Faculty Development and Innovation Center & Professor of Sociology mgillespie@eiu.edu 217-581-7056
1116 Booth Library
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Danielle M. Goehner Danielle M. Goehner Program Director dmgoehner@eiu.edu 217-581-2711
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Kathryn A. Havercroft Kathryn A. Havercroft Professor kahavercroft2@eiu.edu View Profile
Michael Hutchinson Michael Hutchinson Director of Business Services/Treasurer mwhutchinson@eiu.edu 217-581-2979
1140 Old Main
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Christopher J. Mitchell Christopher J. Mitchell Associate Dean, CLAS and Professor, Theatre cjmitchell@eiu.edu 217-581-2922
2218 Doudna Fine Arts Center
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Melinda A. Mueller Melinda A. Mueller Professor Emeritus mamueller@eiu.edu View Profile
Nichole A. Mulvey Nichole A. Mulvey Professor, Graduate Coordinator namulvey@eiu.edu 217-581-7448
2310 Human Services
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Michael K. Murray Michael K. Murray Director of Development mkmurray3@eiu.edu 217-581-3455
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Joshua L. Norman Joshua L. Norman Vice President for Enrollment Management jlnorman@eiu.edu 217-581-6077
2118 Old Main
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Josh Reinhart Josh Reinhart Public Information Coordinator jdreinhart@eiu.edu 217-581-7400
203 Booth House
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Grant C. Sterling Grant C. Sterling Professor, Department Chair gcsterling@eiu.edu 217-581-8468
3531 Coleman Hall
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Bradley P. Tolppanen Bradley P. Tolppanen Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs bptolppanen@eiu.edu 217-581-7685
1020 Old Main
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Eric Wahls Eric Wahls Interim Director, Facilities Planning & Management etwahls@eiu.edu 217-581-2199
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Lindsay P. Wilson, M.S., LCPC Lindsay P. Wilson, M.S., LCPC Interim Assistant Director, Counseling Center lpwilson@eiu.edu 217-581-3413
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Kelly P. Miller Kelly P. Miller Director of Admissions kpmiller@eiu.edu View Profile
Linda C. Holloway Linda C. Holloway Human Resources Director lcholloway2@eiu.edu 217-581-3514
2010 Old Main
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If you have questions about EIU’s Strategic Planning process, or wish to learn more, please email Josh Reinhart, Public Information Coordinator, at jdreinhart@eiu.edu.