After his first school year on the job, new Illinois Wesleyan University President Sheahon Zenger paints a portrait of an institution "re-claiming its birthright" as a liberal arts education center in Central Illinois.
Illinois Wesleyan recently broke ground on its new Petrick Idea Center. It has filed a $7.7 million building permit for the renovation of the adjoining Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art building, and another $250,000 permit for a parking lot to serve those structures. When it's done, Zenger said it will be hard to tell where the art building stops and the idea center begins.
"And if you can get business to integrate with art and art with business, I think that speaks to the very mission of a true liberal arts education," said Zenger.
Zenger said university development is ahead of goal for the year. And enrollment projections for the fall are good.
"We will surpass by a good amount, in our estimation, what we did last year. That's all relative based on our numbers. We're not talking thousands here. We're talking dozens," said Zenger.
IWU has had stable enrollment the last couple years supported by larger than usual entering classes. He said recruiting has been strong from McLean County and the Chicago suburbs.
Zenger said he has also been thrilled to get to know the faculty.
"I've never been with a group that cares more. They're not just with the students in the classroom. If the students are having an event, faculty are there. This is what I was brought up believing higher education ought to be, and I witness it every day," said Zenger.
And Zenger said Illinois Wesleyan remains centered in the community. When IWU hosts things like the McLean County Tournament and the Intercity Tournament, he said it brings the community together. It's during those types of things you can really see the university sing, he said.
Higher education under attack
President Trump's administration is backing a 30% cut in federal student aid and tougher qualification rules for things like Pell grants.
"That would devastate most universities," said Zenger.
Efforts to make up such a loss would require money from tuition, donations, and grants.
"You only have so many revenue streams and we all, for the most part, operate off those. You can only play so many guitar strings well. And when one weakens, you lean into the others," said Zenger.
One of the proposals from President Trump's administration is to force colleges and universities to pay a portion of student loans defaulted by students of those institutions.
Zenger is not enthusiastic at that prospect.
"That's something we haven't seen before. And I think that turns higher ed institutions into bankers. We need to think long and hard before we get into a business we are not used to being in. If you are going to be in that business, you had better have experts around you to tell you how to engage," said Zenger.
Zenger and Illinois State University president Aondover Tarhule recently signed on to a statement condemning "unprecedented government overreach and political interference" by the Trump administration on a variety of fronts including canceled and clawed back grants, free speech, and even teaching policies.
Even after the dust settles on those issues, eventually, Zenger agreed there may be trust issue among higher education institutions that lingers into future federal administrations.
“Certainly, once you've been made aware of something at this level, you're going to pay attention to it long into the future. You don't just have a short-term memory on this,” said Zenger.
For the present, Zenger said, Illinois Wesleyan is, as most institutions are, living day to day and watching what’s happening around the country.
