An Update from President Tarhule – academic spaces ready for start of semester

The Office of the President distributed the following message to the campus community on August 16, 2026.

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Classes for the fall semester will begin as scheduled tomorrow, Monday, August 17, 2026, following an extraordinary stretch of severe weather in Bloomington-Normal.

Academic spaces will be ready, and students should plan to attend their classes as scheduled. If circumstances require a change to an individual class, students will be notified directly by their instructor via their university email. Students experiencing ongoing storm impacts that may interfere with their schedule may reach out to the Dean of Students Office to request support.

Recovery and clean-up efforts continue across campus from the significant damage caused by last week's storms. I realize that our entire community-including our students, families, faculty, and staff - has been personally impacted. The beginning of the fall semester can be a demanding time under the best of circumstances, and the challenges brought by severe weather, flooding, storm damage, and power outages have made this transition especially difficult for many.

Throughout these challenges, I have been deeply grateful for the resilience, compassion, and support you have shown one another. Thank you for your tenacity, patience, and continued commitment to our community. Together, we will navigate these difficult circumstances and move forward with strength and purpose.

Over the weekend, teams across the University responded to building and safety concerns, assessed damage across approximately 125 campus buildings, supported students and families during Move-In, provided health and emergency services, and continued Welcome Week activities. Facilities Services, Grounds, and outside partners have worked throughout the weekend to prepare campus for Monday, and recovery efforts will continue in the days ahead.

As students, faculty, and staff return to campus, please keep the following in mind:

• Please avoid grassy areas on the Quad. Proceed with caution, as the ground remains extremely saturated. Use sidewalks and paved walkways to help prevent additional damage.
• Follow all posted directional signs and avoid restricted areas. Some areas remain closed for safety to allow clean-up work to proceed. Please do not enter or take shortcuts through them.
• Expect recovery equipment in some buildings. Fans, dehumidifiers, and other equipment will continue to operate as Facilities Services and outside partners address water intrusion and moisture.
• Tree and limb removal will continue. Grounds crews will begin work early in the morning, before classes and normal campus activity begin. To minimize disruption to classes and other university activities, this work will pause during the primary workday and resume at appropriate times.

Considerable work has taken place over the past several days to ensure the University is ready to begin the semester as planned. At the same time, recovery from a weather event of this magnitude will take time. Patience, flexibility, and cooperation will help crews continue that work safely and efficiently.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the response and recovery and to the entire campus community for helping care for Illinois State as the new academic year begins.

Sincerely,

Aondover Tarhule, Ph.D.
President