01/04/2021
Dear University and Community Members,
Happy New Year!
It is with a great sense of privilege and humility that I accept the role of your 12th president, and I look forward to meeting you very soon. My wife, Dr. Jennifer Qian, and I, along with our son, George, who is a junior at Rice University, and our daughter, Claire, who is in the fifth grade, are excited to join the WIU and Macomb and Quad Cities communities.
During the presidential interview process, even though they were held via Zoom, and during our visit to the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses in November, we felt very welcomed. Following the in-person interviews with the Board of Trustees, and our tours of both campuses, I was even more enthusiastic about the possibility of serving as your president. Now, as I join this wonderful institution, I want to assure each of you that I am here to support every member of our University community – our students, faculty, and staff – while collaborating with the Board of Trustees, alumni, friends, and neighbors who live and work in the communities WIU serves.
In spite of the ongoing pandemic, I will do my best to meet with as many individuals as I can, in person and/or virtually, on both campuses. I understand the many challenges facing public universities, and I have given much thought to the vision for a strong future for Western. Working together, we will move WIU forward as an innovative University through teaching, learning, research, technology, and international outreach. I will commit time and energy to existing and new initiatives, including recruitment and retention, financial sustainability, diversity and racial and social justice, institutional distinctiveness, and strengthening the relationships with our communities.
I am committed to student success, growth, excellence, innovation, and transformation. I will be a visible, involved, and vocal president, and will tirelessly advocate for Western Illinois University at local, state, national, and international levels.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]. I look forward to working with you!
Kind regards,
Guiyou Huang, Ph.D.
President
