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MACOMB, ILL. -- WIU began as the Western Illinois Normal and Training School with 229 students in 1902.

Since then it has evolved to what we know today with nearly 13,000 students.

The university has seen 10 presidents and soon will be looking for its 11th.

Thursday's (9/23) 17th annual Founders' Day Celebration will be President Al Goldfarb's last.

KHQA's Jarod Wells was on hand as hundreds showed up to relive the past and look to the future.

WIU President Al Goldfarb has given the State of the University address nine times.

Goldfarb said, "Western has continued to move ahead academically. We've added new degree programs. We had our first doctorate program since I arrived. We have nursing and engineering. We continue to add other programs like museum studies in the Quad Cities. We're in the midst of building a new campus in the Quad Cities itself."

Looking back on the past year Goldfarb was pleased to see more national recognition for WIU. He says in tough times the university has still been able to move forward with construction projects and has also seen increased enrollment. But there has been one major challenge.

Goldfarb said, "This is my 34th year in higher education in Illinois. I was at Illinois State for 25 years prior to Western and I've never seen budget times like these last nine years. This has been probably the toughest decade on higher education in the state."

President Goldfarb still has big plans even though he has less than a year before retiring.

Goldfarb said, "We're going to continue to try and get the funding for our performing arts center release so we can break ground. I'd like to see that happen before I leave."

Goldfarb also hopes to increase enrollment, especially freshman enrollment, and stabilize the budget for whoever fills his shoes.

Goldfarb said, "They're going to have to continue to find ways of being as efficient as possible, controlling budget as much as possible to continue to provide the same kind of instruction and service to our students."

Follow this link to read WIU President Al Goldfarb's State of the University address in full.