Eastern Illinois University Homepage

My Eastern Ways blog is one way I will informally notify you of the ways EIU values and supports excellence, personal relationships, service, and opportunity. Within this blog, you'll hear about examples of EIU students, faculty and staff getting involved in academic programs, student life, and community engagement. I hope the things you read here will motivate you to learn more about EIU, where we expect greatness of ourselves in our mission to provide a second-to-none higher education. Read More

At Eastern Illinois University, we take pride in our ability to provide our students a top-notch education at an affordable price. A significant factor in that affordability is our Textbook Rental Service. Compared to the expense of buying the same books, our rental program saves the average student $800-$1000 every year. That kind of annual savings over a college career undoubtedly makes EIU a viable choice for students who otherwise may not have been able to attend. Read More

Move-in day! It's always one of the best days of the year. Faculty, staff and students help all the new students and families: unloading cars, carrying belongings up to the rooms, taking people around campus in golf carts. It's all part of our commitment to service and personal relationships -- embracing the newest members of the EIU family -- and I'm proud to be in there helping, meeting new students, and just being a part of it. Read More

Lunch . . . what a great way to meet people! With Move-In Day yesterday and the welcome lunches today, I've met students from all over the place; from Chicago to Metropolis, from St. Louis to Marshall, and from South Korea, Belgium and India. Our mix of students from communities of all sizes in Illinois, other states, and other countries makes for a diverse campus and enriching experiences -- not only for our students, but also for our faculty, staff and community. Read More

On my most recent "Escape from Old Main" in the Carman Hall lounge, I met quite a few students. Among them was Nick Fulco, who is hall president. I learned from Nick that Carman Hall held a haunted house event called "Terror on the Eighth Floor". That event raised almost $600 for charity and almost 250 canned food items for their food drive. I am really proud of EIU's students: They look for opportunities to serve the community. Carman Hall's efforts are representative of Eastern's spirit of service among our students. Read More

On Friday, April 6, I'll be at the Metropolitan Opera in New York to enjoy a performance from EIU alumnus Matthew Polenzani, who assumes the role of Alfredo in La Traviata. Matthew's international success is a great source of pride for EIU, but I believe it is also emblematic of the value of and Eastern education and our goal of enabling students to discover passions and succeed professionally ... Read More