* WBEZ…
The first Black woman hired to lead Northeastern Illinois University is on her way out from the campus on Chicago’s North Side — but not before directing serious accusations at two board members who pushed for her removal.
In an email obtained by WBEZ, NEIU President Gloria Gibson told a top state official that the university’s board discriminated against her “based on my race and gender.” Gibson also accused the two board members of trying to force her out in “retaliation” for her refusal to give scholarships to three ineligible students — including the wife of a board member.
Using her personal email account, Gibson leveled those charges in December against the then-chairman of the NEIU board, Jim Palos, and another board member at the time, Charles Serrano. In an email to Illinois Deputy Gov. Martin Torres, Gibson wrote that she had filed grievances against board members and that NEIU’s ethics officer advised her that none of the three students should get scholarships. […]
In January, the governor did not reappoint Palos to the university’s board at the end of his term. Contacted by WBEZ, Palos denied the charges that Gibson leveled in the letter, saying he and others pushed for her removal because they thought NEIU would benefit from new leadership. […]
Serrano declined to comment on the letter Gibson sent to the governor. But he told WBEZ he felt he had done nothing wrong by calling a university official on behalf of his wife, who wanted to enroll in a graduate class but was erroneously listed as an international student. He also defended trying to get scholarships for the charter school students.
* Crain’s…
Northeastern Illinois University was hardly in great shape before state budget cuts and the pandemic clobbered it. Now, it’s got a president in limbo and a board in upheaval after trustees moved to get rid of the president and the Pritzker administration began overhauling the board.
Trustees are expected to meet Monday for the first time since November to decide what’s next for a school that, having lost half of the 11,580 students it had a decade ago, is an extreme example of higher education’s fiscal challenges and a case study in how public universities are run. […]
Only 331 full-time students enrolled in fall 2021, and among recent full-time graduates, a mere 4.5% finished within four years. Fewer than 20% did within six years. Tuition doubled over the decade ended in 2016, just as public education in the state reeled under a two-year budget impasse between then-Gov. Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly, and Northeastern’s debt ratings plunged to junk status. […]
Relations began to sour when the faculty and some trustees felt [Gibson] wasn’t listening to their turnaround ideas, which included better connections with Chicago business and its job-training needs. The faculty grew frustrated with what it perceived as a lack of urgency to address the enrollment crisis and related budget shortfalls.
* Last month, faculty asked the Board of Trustees to pressure Gibson to resign. NEIU Independent…
Several faculty members voiced their concerns of mismanagement, incompetence and lack of transparency, regarding the looming deficit to the Board of Trustees. Dr. Olivia Perlow, the Department Chair Sociology, and Dr. Ashley L. Elrod, Assistant Professor of History, voiced their concerns and asked the Board of Trustees to consider pressuring President Gloria J. Gibson to resign immediately and appoint Dr. Wamucii Njogu as interim president.
At NEIU’s Town Hall Presentation on January, 24, 2023, Manish Kumar, Vice President of Finance and Administration confirmed that the university has a projected $11 million in deficit for the current fiscal year. The fiscal problem goes down to 10 years of mismanagement, declining enrollments of 50% less than pre-COVID-19 levels and reduced state appropriations. The university is considering a reorganization and restructuring plan to save $680,000. That is a saving of only 6.18% from the projected deficit. […]
Dr. Stacey Goguen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, said, “Thus, I ask you, the trustees of the university, to take action now. Let us remember, if her reorganization plan fails, she will not be here when it does. Instead, you will be left with the fallout from her bad decisions.”
Dr. Goguen confirmed a group of 160 faculty members have sent a letter to the Board of Trustees and Governor J.B. Pritzker demanded Dr. Njogu to be nominated as interim president of NEIU. Dr. Njogu already held that position in 2018 for two months, and Dr. Elrod stated Dr. Njogu is more in touch with the university’s students, processes and faculty.
* Last year from WGN…
“The leadership has failed us. We need help.”
Those are the words of Dr. Olivia Perlow, Sociology professor and Chair of the African American Studies Department at Northeastern Illinois University.
NEIU faculty and professors met with State Senator Ram Villivillam Tuesday afternoon to address grievances they have with the university’s president — Gloria J. Gibson — and their board of trustees over damaging cuts that have slashed departmental chairs and allegedly reinforced the school’s declining enrollment.
Dr. Olivia Perlow, who chairs two other departments on top of African American Studies, pointed toward the College of Arts and Sciences dropping from 17 to eight department chairs as a major reason why enrollment is dropping as well.
“At this very moment, we have 3,500 students going into the Spring,” Perlow said.
- Moline Marooned - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 11:41 am:
Close this school and Chicago State University.
- regular democrat - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 11:55 am:
Northeastern was a very viable school back in the day where a lot of people could afford to attend and get a respectable degree. Really a shame considering how much local private universities cost. The school should be bursting at the seams with students who cant afford Loyola etc . Sounds like a big mess hope it gets straightened out.
- Homebody - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 11:55 am:
It is entirely possible that both things are true: unethical board members and and ineffective president.
- Amalia - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 11:57 am:
NEIU has always been on the edge. A source of education which seemed to target the Hispanic community in many respects. I find it interesting that the outgoing President has gender on the slate of discriminated against issues. Not that it could not happen….anyone who knows me knows my sensors are up….but I recall a President there of some years ago who was a chemist and a woman. so this one is not the first female president. The entire state university system needs a hard look.
- Gravitas - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:07 pm:
Much ado about nothing. Too much name calling and, as the post states, this all about declining enrollment and falling revenues. Northeastern Illinois was a commuter school and a teacher’s college that reached for the big time by trying to field a Divsion I basketball team and construct student dormitories. The basketball team posted losing records and failed to compete before it was disbanded. The brand new dormitory rooms are largely empty. The pandemic interfered with the opening of the residential student programs. Cuts were inevitable as the student population has dropped dramatically.
Oh, yes, Northeastern is the sister university of Chicago State. Both schools trace their historic roots to the Cook County Teacher’s College and its successor institutions.
- H-W - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:10 pm:
A lot of public “Masters-Large” universities have been, are, or will be going through the same fiscal crises. Eastern did and Western did, for example.
I am going to try to speak objective, rather than from a faculty perspective.
When 10s or millions were withheld, not once, but twice under Rauner’s administration, it cripple us. WIU came up $100 M short when the legislature did not override his veto of the state budget.
At WIU, that is not the kind of money you can just ignore. Almost all appropriated dollars are paycheck dollars, not play money. In the end, our President had to eliminate personnel. He started with staff and civil service, before cutting faculty and programs. But in the end, faculty and programs were part of the solution to the $100 M deficit.
It sounds as if this is going on at NEIU now. Not enough money to pay everyone (much less give raises that are deserved) means some jobs and programs will be eliminated, lest the administration create the conditions of financial exigency (which by state law, Boards cannot do).
When our president balanced our shorted budget, the faculty rose up and denounced him for eliminating programs and some faculty. He also cut Public Radio funds, which enraged retires and faculty, and the townspeople quickly joined in the blame game (blame the president, not the republican agenda called, “a turnaround agenda”).
Regional universities service populations that are in some ways unique, and at the same time, equally average. When government abandons them, seriously problems arise. Creating an administrative scapegoat is not the solution.
In addition, @ Moline Marooned’s proposed solution (close NEIU and Chicago State) is not a solution. However, is would be an institutional form of racism that would disproportionately harm Black and Latino kids in Illinois for the sole purpose of washing our hands of their regional needs.
I feel sorry for NEIU, having seen how bad this can be.
As to the racism and sexism claim specifically, I would prefer to wait until the investigations play out before concluding anything.
- Gravitas - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:15 pm:
The last three presidents of Northeastern Illinois have all been women. Salme Steinberg was a historian. Sharon Haas was a chemist. Gloria Gibson earned her doctoral degree in ethnic music studies.
- Blue Bayou - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:16 pm:
@ Moline Marooned, you mean close the two minority-serving universities you can think of?
Wonder why you’d suggest that?
NEIU had a female president before Gibson. The latter was hired with a clear mandate to address enrollment and retention issues the faculty were eager to work on. Lots of enthusiasm for her to succeed. But it’s been endless mismanagement, a No Confidence vote (on the President & Board of Trustees), and no sign that the administration had a plan to improve things. There are lots of details not in these articles. Vulnerable state universities, working hard to educate our neediest citizens, suffer when bad management is left without accountability.
- Blue Bayou - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:17 pm:
Gravitas, the basketball debacle is from the 1990s.
- Because I Said So…. - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:33 pm:
H.W. hit it on the head. Many if not most regional universities are still in recovery mode following the Rauner budget crisis.
Calling for the closure of universities is short sighted and would be devastating to the communities they serve.
Hope things turn around for NEIU.
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:35 pm:
IBHE should develop a plan for the regional universities. That identifies regional and statewide roles for each rather than continuing to act like they are all the same. Of course, it would also mean telling them “No” occasionally when they aspire to be all things.
- City Zen - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:39 pm:
Don’t you mean Illinois State University - Chicago?
- Gravitas - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 12:50 pm:
@Blue Bayou:
You’re correct, but the university is still left with a large gymnasium and athletic facilities to maintain that are underutilized to this day.
I was always mystified that Norheastern would rent the UIC Pavilion for its graduations while its gymnasium was on campus.
- Demoralized - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 1:09 pm:
The fact that someone is getting asked to leave does not automatically translate into discrimination. Too often when this happens does the claim automatically go to discrimination.
- Chad - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 2:03 pm:
NEIU, CSU and GSU could all be managed quite well as regional campuses of NIU. The current system is a legacy of the postwar 50s, when these places were envisioned to be viable, stand alone institutions. The economies of scale and division of labor no longer support the old approach. These can be unique campuses serving targeted populations. They all got their own unnecessary boards and accompanying structures in a deal when NIU was granted its own (and greatly needed) board and Sangamon State was merged into U of I. They have become locally-dominated patronage operation demanding everything the big publics have. Pritzger should consider cleaning up the mess.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 2:05 pm:
Both the Board and the President have not handled this well. Clean house, we need talented people in these positions and roles. I don’t think that’s what we have.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 2:24 pm:
This is a classic vicious circle. Enrollment is down and graduation rates are terrible. So how to you encourage students to enroll?
- Blue Bayou - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 2:45 pm:
Chad, what local patronage? There’s no connection to the city or Cook County. No money or power exerted by mayor or even state pols.
NEIU has not demanded “everything the big publics have.” Quite the contrary. The missions are very different.
You are generalizing, really inaccurately.
- Beverly Rock - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 3:14 pm:
That place is sitting on some prime real estate. Close it and sell it to a residential real estate developer.
It is and always be a patronage dumping ground.
- Scott - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 3:35 pm:
I’ve often thought that Chicago State and Governors State should merge, but it looks like NEIU should probably join them. Reduce overlap in programs and administrative duties, rebrand as 1 university with 3 campuses.
- MyTwoCents - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 3:53 pm:
This seems to be the perfect time for the State to look at the best operation for public higher education in Chicago, with all options on the table. My initial thought is consolidating NEIU & CSU. Combined administration would help with reducing costs and then there could be discussions of other ways of combining resources within the parameters of maintaining the core values of each university.
- Gravitas - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 4:29 pm:
Very thoughtful discussion today. When I think about it, I believe the former President of Northeastern, Dr. Sharon Hahs, chose to retire because of the constant battles with Springfield over higher ed funding. Some out of state universities have been able to “poach” Illinois students because our leaders have not matched the dollars that other states have put into their campuses.
- Blue Dog - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 4:37 pm:
The latest info I could find, listed nearly 1,100 employees at NEIU. If this is the case a 5 to 1 student to employee ratio is worth getting canned for.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 5:07 pm:
The reorganization of Northeastern, Chicago State, and Governors State.
I’d be in favor of such a move, reinventing higher education within the new Lincoln University Higher Ed System, but here’s the thing, the issues in this post aren’t about all that, but there’s a culture to places that would change, and maybe real issues like these are the “simple solutions” trap.
NIU, ISU, SIUE… the U of I system… WIU, EIU, SIUC…
Four pods… but when these problems make it difficult to see why these schools should be reimagined.
It’s beyond time. Change these cultures. It’s a legacy.
- Gravitas - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 5:20 pm:
We should not be completely negative. A friend told me that two of his nephews, who did not have wads of cash for tuition, were able to complete degrees at Northeastern affordably. Both graduated and are gainfully employed now. They were happy about their educational experiences at NEIU.
- Someone you should know - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 5:29 pm:
This is the unfortunate legacy of the higher ed reforms of the 90’a. For the most part the Board of Governors schools were never able to stand on their own
- Oldtimer - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 6:47 pm:
Bob Kustra was offered a compromise on higher education governance where most schools under the Board of Regents and the Board of Governors would get their own boards but CSU, GSU, and NEIU would be under one governance umbrella. This would have brought some Dems on board with the program. Kustra, however, had the votes for his plan and it was on a fast track for passage so he refused even though there was no clamor from the three small Chicago area schools for their own boards.
- Retired SURS Employee - Monday, Mar 6, 23 @ 7:03 pm:
This is very sad. As recently as 10-12 years ago, my daughter-in-law received her bachelor’s from NEIU and then went on to get an MSW from the University of Chicago. Obviously, at that time she received a quality education at NEIU.
- Chad - Tuesday, Mar 7, 23 @ 11:47 am:
Sorry to reply so late, Blue Bayou. I should have been more clear that the patronage I was referring to was for friends og campus administers, not political party patronage. There are jobs galore due to every one of these small universities needing to fill out sll of the compliance jobs.