Facilities, fundraising, enrollment a Larry Dietz legacy

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) - The two-year budget impasse and the COVID-19 pandemic are the elephants in the room when one reviews the challenges Larry Dietz faced in his seven years as president of Illinois State University.

While they cannot be overlooked, they shouldn't overshadow other accomplishments as Dietz enters retirement.

'œIt's amazing (to see) the strides we've been able to make in the midst of crisis,'ť said ISU Board Chair Julie Jones. 'œIt takes a special leader '¦ to be able to make advances in the midst of crisis.'ť

Dietz points out, 'œI do very little on my own,'ť then he laughs and adds, 'œI also get blamed for things I didn't do, so I guess it balances out.'ť

He says his best accomplishment was developing a good team and getting support from the board, alumni and community members. But Jones said, 'œIt still starts at the top.'ť

State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said Dietz 'œwas not satisfied with the status quo. He was constantly trying to move the university forward,'ť whether it was new academic programs or capital improvements.

While many public universities in Illinois have struggled to maintain enrollment and some have seen precipitous drops, ISU has seen stable and growing enrollment overall.

Dietz attributes that to 'œa terrific academic program, quality faculty'ť and 'œa fine enrollment management team.'ť

A proposal to create a College of Engineering is expected to go to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. There are still many steps to go, but the bulk of the foundation has been built while Dietz was president.

Also during his term, ISU has added four bachelor's degrees and seven master's degrees, including a cybersecurity program.

A record-breaking comprehensive capital campaign, 'œRedbirds Rising,'ť concluded in 2020, surpassing its goal of $150 million by raising $180.9 million.

Among major gifts were $12 million from internationally recognized artist Wonsook Kim, an ISU graduate, and her husband Thomas Clement to College of Fine Arts, which was renamed the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, and a planned gift of 'œeight figures'ť from alumni Jim and Carole Mounier to Redbird Athletics.

The $33 million revitalization of the Bone Student Center was completed this spring. The $61.9 million rehabilitation of the Fine Arts Complex is moving forward. Milner Plaza was renovated, including removal of the canopy.

Decommissioned residence halls Hamilton-Whitten and Atkin-Colby were demolished in 2016 and Redbird Plaza was dedicated on the site in 2017.

The Center for Civic Engagement opened at the corner of South Fell Avenue and West North Street in uptown Normal. Dietz said having the center on a corner 'œfacing the community'ť is an import symbol. Since the center's opening, students have completed more than 32,600 hours in service work.

The Multicultural Center on South Main Street is scheduled to open this fall. It is part of an overall emphasis on diversity and inclusion that also included the creation of a new position, assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion.

'œThere's always more to do,'ť said Dietz. 'œSocial justice issues will be with us a long time,'ť but 'œwe've picked up the pace'ť addressing those issues on campus.

Another step toward diversity was a partnership with INTO to bring more international students to ISU. Unfortunately, 'œWhen the pandemic hit, all the international efforts were put on hold.'ť

Of course, international initiatives were not the only things impacted by the pandemic.

In a matter of a couple of weeks, the university had to pivot from a traditional in-person campus to moving classes to remote learning, closing residence halls and having people work from home.

As the pandemic evolved, so did ISU's approach to it. Students returned in the fall to a mix of remote and hybrid classes as well as reduced occupancy in residence halls, face coverings and social distancing.

Dietz said the faculty's dedication to student success and willingness to adapt were crucial elements of ISU's ability to respond to that crisis. On-campus COVID-19 testing was implemented and vaccination clinics took place. ISU established a lab to be part of a testing network for Shield Illinois, the saliva-based testing developed by the University of Illinois.

Asked what he least liked about being president, Dietz replied, 'œI just enjoyed it all. I'm not being coy. I really enjoyed it all. '¦ There's nothing about this role that didn't fit.'ť

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Source: The (Bloomington) Pantagraph, https://bit.ly/2UJ5OEl