Dr. Amber Schultz is WIU's new Vice President of Enrollment Management. She says this semester, 366 new students will attend classes in person at the Moline campus, a drop of 81 since last fall. That does not include online enrollment or "distance" learning.
Enrollment this fall in the Quad Cities is 916 compared to 1,089 a year ago.
She recently met with Quad Cities faculty and staff to discuss how to improve local enrollment.
Western's goal is to increase enrollment 20% by 2027.
Schultz says total enrollment at both WIU campuses is nearly steady at 7,455 this fall. And she says it's the first time in 14 years without a significant decline.
Five years ago, Western's website shows total enrollment of 10,373 students.
