Illinois State University Board of Trustees

Gov. JB Pritzker named Doug Peterson, the director of AI strategy and implementation for Chicago-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie, to serve on ISU’s governing board.

A group of non-union workers at Illinois State University threatened to unionize during Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting. Organizers say over 200 ISU employees have signed a petition asking for raises, in the wake of other collective bargaining on campus.

A leader for ISU's tenure and tenure-track faculty union told trustees they're inching close to a strike. The chair of the Academic Senate identified a pattern of "discordant labor relations" spanning multiple ISU presidents. And repairs to a campus parking garage may be impacted by proposed tariffs on steel.

Both housing and dining costs are set to increase 5%, pending a vote from Illinois State University's Board of Trustees on Friday. Meeting documents cite increased facilities costs, food costs and a higher minimum wage among the driving factors for the increases.

At a contentious meeting, Illinois State University's governing body approved the purchase of property from Country Financial, finalizing a plan to house the forthcoming College of Engineering on G.E. Road in Bloomington.

At Friday's board of trustees meeting, ISU's administration will seek approval of a plan to spend no more than $17.5 million to purchase property at 1709 and 1711 G.E. Road in Bloomington. The purchase would mark a pivot away from long-held plans to renovate two, on-campus buildings for the new College of Engineering.

Following a Board of Trustees meeting Friday, an Illinois State spokesperson said the university is preparing to launch a national search for a permanent athletics director in the coming weeks.

After delaying a vote last week, Illinois State University's board of trustees will gather for a special meeting Friday to take a vote on proposed student fee increases for the 2024-2025 school year.

Dozens of members of a union representing tenured and tenure-track faculty at Illinois State University demonstrated at Friday's board of trustees meeting, showing up en masse and dressed in green to highlight members' priorities.

After stints as provost, vice president for academic affairs and interim president, Aondover Tarhule is officially the 21st president of Illinois State University.