EIU Administrator Talks Realignment Plan And Changes

Eastern Illinois University will launch an overhaul of its programs and colleges starting next month, with the start of the new fiscal year. It will bring with it a number of changes to the university in Charleston intended to make it more appealing to a wider range of students. 

The Board of Trustees approved the restructuring—which was first announced in April—on Friday June 22, and includes the creation of a new College of Health and Human Services, combining programs that had been spread across three different colleges. 

Also, the College of Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities will merge into a single College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

EIU Vice President of Academic Affairs Jay Gatrell said the realignment will make the university more competitive.

“It will provide the opportunity for students to have interactions with faculty from other disciplines as new partnerships, minor programs as well as interdisciplinary programs and options emerge in the near future as well as entirely new majors," said Gatrell. 

Gatrell said the goal is to foster the university's academic experience. 

“The number one priority was to create communities of learners and programs and faculty that were readily identifiable that were complimentary, and created a framework for new multi and interdisciplinary programs," said Gatrell. 

Gatrell said the university planned the realignment so there would be no net increase in the number of full time academic administrators and no net increase in operating expenses. He said the university will make these changes with existing resources.