NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — The president of Illinois State University delivered the annual State of the University address, highlighting many achievements they have made in the past year.
Some of the highlights include record student enrollment, the highest they have seen in many years, and record fundraising totals from the previous year.
“Our students, faculty and staff continue to bring national recognition to Illinois State, and our alumni and donors continue to support that excellence with unprecedented generosity. Over the past year, we achieved the most successful fundraising year in the university’s 168-year history,” said Aondover Tarhule, President of Illinois State University.
Tarhule also recognized the launch of their new college of engineering, which started this fall, and a brand new budget redesign process to replace the decades-old one they have been using.
“Looking ahead, I expect the budget redesign we initiated last year will be largely completed next month, providing Illinois State with its first new budget model in many decades. During the remainder of the fall semester, we will share the preliminary results from the new budget model and solicit your feedback to refine it,” he said.
Unexpectedly, during the speech, protesters shot out of their seats and started to yell and chant when Tarhule mentioned their record-breaking fundraiser totals from the previous year. Protesters yelled where the money was going and to “Free Palestine” before being escorted out shortly after.
The speech was only interrupted for a moment before continuing.
A full video of the address can be found on Illinois State University’s YouTube page.
WMBD TV can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
