Federal Directives: Department of Education letter, February 14, 2025
On Friday, February 14, 2025, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) distributed a “Dear Colleague letter.” The letter interprets the 2023 Supreme Court decision, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, to broadly prohibit race-based student programming, activities, and spending at K-12 public schools, colleges, and universities. As the letter states, the Department will take measures to assess compliance within 14 days, with significant consequences for noncompliance.
We recognize the confusion these directives may cause the campus community. As always, our intent is to uphold our values and follow the law. To determine potential impacts of current and future directives on institutional policies, practices, and initiatives, Illinois State has convened an Institutional Resiliency Steering Team. This team began meeting last week and will keep our leadership informed. Additionally, we continue to leverage legal and federal partnerships and networks of peer institutions to better understand our responsibilities under these directives.
As previously indicated, know that we are closely monitoring and analyzing how each directive impacts Illinois State. We will share information with the campus community as it becomes available.
Latest Media Relations
- Illinois State, UFISU Tenure-Track Faculty Union Reach Tentative AgreementIllinois State University and United Faculty of ISU (UFISU), the Union that represents non-administrative tenured and tenure-track Illinois State faculty, are pleased to announce that the parties have reached a tentative contract agreement.
- A message to the campus community on faculty negotiations, April 3, 2025The Provost thanks the University’s and Union’s negotiating teams for their continued good faith efforts during this week's ongoing faculty negotiations, referring to it as an indication of the deep care each group has for the broader good at Illinois State.
- A message to the campus community on faculty negotiations, March 31, 2025As negotiations continue this week, Illinois State remains confident that further progress can be made through continued dialogue to reach a contract agreement that is fair, fiscally responsible, and sustainable in the long term.
- Vice President for Finance and Planning Glen Nelson offers FY26 budget updateIllinois State University Vice President for Financial Planning, Dr. Glen Nelson, delivers an FY25 budget update, in addition to important guidance for the FY26 budget process and general approach to FY27 revenue allocations.
- A message to the campus community on faculty negotiations, March 26, 2025This communication is an update on important developments in contract negotiations with University Professionals of Illinois, United Faculty of ISU (UFISU), the Union representing Illinois State University’s approximately 650 non-administrative tenured and tenure-track faculty.
- A message to the campus community on faculty negotiations, March 22, 2025This communication is an update on important developments in contract negotiations with University Professionals of Illinois, United Faculty of ISU (UFISU), the Union representing Illinois State University’s approximately 650 non-administrative tenured and tenure-track faculty.
