On Jan. 11 President Sharon Hahs held the first Town Hall Meeting between administration and faculty. The meeting called “experiment 101” by President Hahs was the first of its kind for NEIU, with plans for another scheduled for later in the semester. The idea for the town meeting came from the faculty senate.
It was a place for faculty members to ask about issues such as online registration, cell phone reception, submitting grades, and class section availability. President Hahs talked about NEIU’s biggest competition for students, “One of our worst competitors or best competitors is UIC (University of Illinois Chicago). They spent a ton of money on marketing and recruitment this year,” said President Hahs. UIC’s new dorm was also mentioned as a possible draw for students.
Other faculty members addressed most of the issues brought up at the meeting. One thing that was mentioned was doing away with Bubble Sheets to turn in grades. This comment received applause from the faculty.
Money was a key factor when addressing available sections; President Hahs talked about the importance of sections being available. She mentioned how it helps the enrollment and retention of students.
Lack of cell phone reception on campus was a big topic of discussion. This is being solved with a cell tower being placed on top of the library. This tower will also be an income-generating item on campus. The tower is slated to be put up by Verizon. It is still awaiting the University Board’s final approval.
The next Town Hall Meeting is expected in April. There are other events that will allow faculty and administration to meet once a month. President Hahs had to say it was, “a wonderful meeting with good questions and good discussion.” The next major function being held by the administration is the State of the University Address on Feb. 21.