WIU to Host Public Assembly Aug. 22
New and incoming Western Illinois University students will begin moving into on-campus residence halls Thursday, Aug 21.
In response to questions sent regarding the new academic year at WIU, which covered a variety of topics such as projected enrollment, curriculum/ academic changes, budget, move-in, student support and more, Western’s spokesperson, Director of Government and Public Relations Zach Messersmith, told the Brief in an email: “We are going to have a press availability with our University Assembly and you will have the opportunity to ask some of those larger direction questions directly at that time. Here are the details on the University Assembly.” (link to calendar event provided).
The University Assembly will be held from 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 22 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall on the Macomb campus, and is open to the public. The event will also be livestreamed on the University’s YouTube channel. The University’s calendar states: “Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited. WIU President Kristi Mindrup will outline plans and priorities for the 2025-26 academic year and beyond. Additionally, Interim Provost and Academic Vice President Mark Mossman, Vice President for Finance and Administration Ketra Roselieb and Vice President for Student Success Justin Schuch will share insights and updates.”
The Community News Brief will attend the University Assembly and expects to have a more in-depth story on Western’s 2025 -2026 school year.
While projected enrollment figures for Fall 2025 were not provided for the backto- school feature, at the April 29, 2025 Faculty Senate meeting, in which minutes are publicly available online (wiu.edu/ faculty_senate/meetings/index.php), Vice President for Student Success Justin Schuch told senators at the April meeting the freshmen class was not on track to reach 800, and was around 14 percent below where the numbers were at that time last year. He also shared with senators in addition to undergraduates being down about 14 percent from last year, there were adjustments being made to graduate school, and large class sizes were graduating, so it was anticipated that overall enrollment will be down this fall.
According to a May 7, 2025 news release, the number of students who were eligible to participate in Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremonies was 1,478. The official 10th day total new student enrollment numbers for Fall 2024, which were released Sept. 6, 2024, was 1,729, with the Fall 2024 total enrollment posted at 6,332.
In regard to move-in information, the following link was provided: wiu.edu/student_ success/housing/living_on_campus/ fallMoveIn.php.
WIU alumni who are helping their child or grandchild move into WIU on Thursday and Friday, August 21–22, are invited to attend the Leatherneck Legacy Move-In Social, hosted by the WIU Alumni Association, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. each day at the Alumni House, located at 1009 W. Adams St., Macomb.
According to the institution’s move-in page, the following residence halls are open this fall: Corbin-Olson, Thompson and Grote halls. In January 2025, the University announced Lincoln and Washington Halls would be “temporarily paused” beginning this fall. A Jan. 15, 2025 news release stated, “During this paused period, the University will assess several areas within the complex, including the condition of utility systems, student rooms, furniture, etc., and, as the budget allows, focus attention on the repairs needed throughout both buildings.”
In addition, the institution has published an inauguration page for the upcoming formal installation of Western’s 13th President Kristi Mindrup. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, in the College of Fine Arts and Communication Recital Hall. The established website will have details on registration closer to the date, and live streaming.
