At the June 16 meeting of the Western Illinois University's Board of Trustees, the Board unanimously voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2027 preliminary spending plan of $182.1 million, a reduction of approximately $7.3 million from the FY26 All Funds budget. The University's plan must be prepared prior to July 1 for submission to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois State Legislature and the Governor.
According to BOT materials related to the spending plan, as of June 1, 2026, the Illinois General Assembly passed an operating bill for Illinois higher education; therefore, the university’s FY27 preliminary spending plan for state appropriated funds is presented at passed appropriation of $59.1 million, a one percent increase from FY26 state appropriated funds. The Fiscal Year 2027 WIU All-Funds Operating Budget will be presented to the Board of Trustees at their September meeting. This budget will include income projections based on fall enrollment figures, as noted in Board materials.
'This is the first step in our budget process for Fiscal Year 2027. The preliminary spending plan for Fiscal Year '27 totals $182.1 million in expenses, which is down from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget,' Vice President for Finance and Administration Ketra Roselieb explained. 'These adjustments have been made consistent with our enrollment and contractual obligations and must continue as we bring projected expenses in line with revenues.'
Vice Chair Carin Stutz noted that recognizing enrollment is a topline issue as the institution can only cut so far.
'I think we're kind of at bare bare bones as it is right now,' she added. 'So obviously, Dr. Schuch's (vice president for student success) focus right now is really huge for us.'
Mindrup added that collectively, as a university community, Western is coming together. She explained that thinking about the enrollment side holistically, and where the opportunities for growth are academically, with retention and with recruitment of students, she's pleased with the momentum that WIU currently has.
'We have planned for this moment of enrollment that we are in. We're sustainable for the numbers that we have and that we're projecting for the fall. We're in a decent spot,' the president shared. 'Any additional investment in the institution, as well as additional revenue and enrollment that we have, will better position us for growth as we move toward the future.'
When asked about projected Fall 2026 enrollment to date, the university provided the following statement to The Community News Brief: “While it is still early in the enrollment cycle, the University currently projects that Fall 2026 enrollment will remain relatively steady and be comparable to Spring 2026 enrollment levels. As with any enrollment projection, these numbers will continue to evolve throughout the summer as registration activity continues, and final enrollment figures will not be available until after the start of the fall semester.”
The Spring 2026 semester 10th-day enrollment report showed a total headcount of 4,735 for both the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses. In spite of the slight decrease noted for spring, student retention from Fall 2025-to-Spring 2026 reached nearly 80 percent, which means many of Western's students returned for the new semester, which halted a six-year decline in fall-to-spring retention. The Fall 2025 headcount was 5,337.
In other business, the BOT approved the collective bargaining agreement for UPI Local 4100, IFT-AFT, AFLCIO- ProTech, which was reached June 11 and ratified June 15. Effective July 1, every employee covered by this contract will receive a $0.75 wage increase, and a two percent wage increase on July 1, 2027. The Board also approved a 20262028 bargaining agreement with the WIU Chapter of University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 (UPI), which was reached on June 8, and was ratified June 12. The agreement includes a $1,800 increase to base salary and salary minima lanes for all bargaining unit employees (Units A and B) for the 2026-2027 academic year and two percent increases to base salary for the 2027-2028 academic year. The full agreement can be found in Board materials at wiu.edu/bot.
Following the BOT meeting, Mindrup notified members of the university community that non-negotiated employees will receive a two percent salary increase effective July 1.
'With acknowledgment there is still more work to do in this area, I am thankful we are taking steps in the right direction to show our appreciation,' she wrote.
The Board approved tenure for 12 members of the faculty, and elected officers for FY27. Radosh was re-elected chair, Stutz was elected vice chair and Erika Lowe-Mullins was re-elected secretary, while Bradley Jenkins was elected by the student body to serve as the student trustee.
The two new trustees, Nancy Paridy and Jose Alba, were also introduced. In addition, in Chairperson Polly Radosh's remarks at the beginning of the meeting, the chair mentioned that the Board has had preliminary discussions with President Mindrup regarding her contract, which is currently set to run through June 30, 2027, and the Board intends to extend her contract by one year. Contract negotiations will take place this fall.
