“Exhilarating, exciting and full of enthusiasm.” That’s how Bradley University president James Shadid describes his first 100 days at the Peoria institution.
Shadid left a position as a U.S. District judge in March to fill the role of Bradley president. The Bradley alumnus and native Peorian filled a vacancy left behind by former president Stephen Standifird.
In an interview with WCBU in March, Shadid said the university could improve at “telling the story” of what it has to offer. A hundred days in, Shadid says he’s told the school’s stories every day. That includes the story of the institution’s founder, philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley.
“We’re building upon the founding principles of Lydia Moss Bradley to recruit and develop independent, industrious students who will serve their communities. These are the students she wanted us to recruit and develop,” Shadid said. “Lydia Moss Bradley was 80 years old when she founded Bradley University and that’s incredible in and of itself.
“She gave us a story to tell, and she was innovative and she was about technology way before the rest of the universities in this country were. Our first three colleges were science, industry and literature. So I’m telling that story and moving it forward and talking about it in terms of our 70,000 alumni.”
Shadid also intends to improve Bradley’s present story. A recently awarded $2 million state grant is part of a broader effort to improve the college’s aesthetic and functionality for students.
“I’m hoping we accomplish that we move forward on making our campus, and the perimeter of our campus, in terms of physical space, more attractive,” said Shadid. “I’m hoping that we can move forward on discussions of renovating a dorm or two and creating a better dining experience, all parts of the overall student experience here.”
The improvements to the physical space surrounding the campus include the university’s plans for the building that was formerly an Avanti’s restaurant on the corner of the bustling University and Main intersection. Shadid said the school still plans to demolish the building and replace it with a “nice, attractive space.”
“But we also want to be good neighbors, and we want to understand and we want to do what’s right for the university and what’s right for the neighborhood,” he said. “So we’re open to thoughts about the corner.”
In May, a neighborhood group in the vicinity of Bradley published a letter sent to Shadid asking the university to divest from the property. The letter shortly followed an unveiling by the school of future green space plans for the location.
When contacted by WCBU for further comment at the time, a representative of the Uplands Residential Association told a reporter they would be declining any interviews “in light of new information.”
While Shadid said the school is open to thoughts on the space, there are no plans to formally collect community input yet.
Higher education and the GOP megabill
Bradley, like all other American higher education institutions, is facing some changes following passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” tax and spending plan.
Among the policies signed into law on July 4 by President Donald Trump are new, tighter caps on lifetime totals for federal student loans, the phasing out of a graduate student loan program, and a contingency barring students from receiving federal Pell grants if they’ve received a full scholarship from other sources of student aid.
However, the final version of the bill did not include Pell grant provisions that would have raised the number of credits required for a student to qualify for the typically low-income funds. Those proposals raised concerns at some area schools.
The bill also overhauls the student loan repayment system and eliminates the Biden administration’s SAVE program that provided an income and household-size driven repayment plan for student borrowers.
GOP representatives have stated they believe the changes will result in lowered tuition rates.
Shadid said it’s still too early to say exactly what effect any of these changes could have on Bradley, as university staff continues to evaluate the contents of the bill.
“Look, there are challenges all the time, whether it’s in higher education, whether it’s in the judiciary, where I came from, whether it’s in other businesses,” said Shadid. “As long as we stay focused on a road map that’s right for Bradley University, we’ll meet these challenges and we’ll adjust and we’ll do what we need to do.”
Shadid said the school does have some concerns about international students acquiring visas and is in frequent contact with them, working on how to adjust.
“Frankly, I think that’ll play out,” he said. “Because it’s so important, not just to us, but to other universities in higher education and to this country. So I believe, once the dust settles, that we’ll be able to get our international students here.”
Shadid’s first full school year lies ahead
Orientations are underway in mid-July and some students already are back on campus, moving into dorms and getting familiar with new class schedules as they wrap up summer activities.
As Shadid prepares for his first full academic year as Bradley president, he’s making an effort to walk around the campus and meet these students and their parents.
He recounts a moment that happened recently: A student who had been unable to walk at graduation returned to the campus for a small ceremony with some of his professors. Shadid joined the impromptu ceremony and hooding.
“When the students are here, the energy level is incredible,” he said. “And that’s what we’re all about focusing on, the students and the student experience.”
Shadid followed a tumultuous last year for former president Standifird.
The university was recovering from $13 million in cuts and termination of dozens of faculty jobs.
Shadid said a new S&P Global Rating of “BBB+” issued in May should raise confidence that Bradley has a handle on its financials moving forward.
While enrollment numbers won’t be finalized until the start of classes in Fall 2025, Shadid says it’s fair to say the school is “at or near” last year’s levels.
“We’ve made the adjustments necessary in the operating budget to reflect wherever we find ourselves in September," he said.
“I think we’re in good shape, but that means we still have to be moving forward. We still have to do what we need to do and that’s why we’re working every day here to create that road map that’s right for Bradley University.”
