MACOMB/QUAD CITIES, IL – Western Illinois University (WIU) President Dr. Guiyou Huang announced over the weekend that he will be stepping down from his position, leaving the university effective March 31st.
“After much reflection, I have decided to leave the University,” Huang wrote to the board of trustees. “This was not an easy conclusion to come to, but I have decided it is time to move on to the next chapter of my life and be closer to my family, but I will always be a Leatherneck at heart.”
Huang began his tenure as WIU’s 12th president on December 18, 2020, and oversaw the university through a pandemic that affected enrollment at many colleges nationwide. He didn’t elaborate on his reasons for departing the university, but WIU is currently in the midst of financial and enrollment struggles — currently estimated to be down more than 6%.
Pending Board of Trustees approval, Quad Cities Campus Operations Vice President Kristi Mindrup will serve as interim president starting April 1st. Mindrup, the current longest-serving vice president at the university. has a 27-year connection to Western and will be inheriting an institution with a $12 million deficit in its appropriated funds budget for fiscal year 2023.
The Board of Trustees will be voting on Huang’s Separation Agreement at their regularly scheduled meeting on March 22nd.
