By DYLAN SMITH, NEWS3 Reporter
MACOMB, Illinois (NEWS3) – It’s been just over one year since Guiyou Huang began his term as the new Western Illinois University president.
Entering Huang’s first term, he said that his focus lay with enrollment, retention and university branding. These focal points are still at the top of President Huang’s agenda.
“They [the initiatives] have been really helpful in the way that I lead the university, in the way we promote the university and the way we grow it,” Huang said.
With one year at WIU under his belt, Huang now turns to specific tasks such as international enrollment, graduate student enrollment and university distinction.
To aid with these large tasks, Huang hired two new vice presidents last summer: Amber Schultz, for enrollment, and David Braverman for student success.
WIU’s enrollment has remained relatively flat but experienced slight growth this semester. The university is also seeing all-time high international student and graduate student numbers.
Leading up to the March 31 inauguration ceremony, Huang has traveled the country to meet with alumni and talk about his plans.
Huang refers to the inaugural tour as a time to learn from alumni.
“I say productive because I’ve heard a lot of different perspectives on the issues we see everyday on our campus,” said Huang.
Huang has a few more travel dates leading up to the ceremony. The inaugural ceremony will take place at Western Hall at 2:30 p.m. March 31. The event will also be live streamed on the WIU YouTube channel.
The ceremony was delayed to 2022 due to COVID-19 protocols.
