WIU hosts state higher education board at long-term planning meeting - Lainie Steelman, McDonough County Voice

Trends in higher education are changing rapidly, and universities must assess their long-range strategic planning to keep up with those trends or risk becoming irrelevant. That's the message Western Illinois University received from the Illinois Board of Higher Education on Monday during a visit from IBHE staff members Alan Phillips, deputy director of planning and budget, and Dan Cullen, interim director of academic affairs. According to Phillips, colleges and universities have previously been protected by the prestige of their brands and lack of competition, but factors such as declines in state funding, the emergence of new education providers such as for-profit institutions, the technology revolution and changing student demographics have a lead to "a perfect storm." http://www.geneseorepublic.com/article/20121023/NEWS/121029670