About the President
Dr. Aondover Tarhule (ON-doh-vay TAR-hoo-lay) was named the 21st president of Illinois State University on March 18, 2024, after serving as interim president for one year. He arrived at Illinois State in 2020 to serve as vice president for Academic Affairs and provost.
Dr. Tarhule is known to be an approachable leader who brings a high level of integrity and knowledge to conversations that will continue the institution’s 168-year legacy well into the future. Collaboration and belonging are important to him, as showcased in the University’s new five-year strategic plan, Excellence by Design: 2024-2029 , adopted in May 2024.
Before arriving at Illinois State, Dr. Tarhule served as vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University in New York, and as executive associate dean and department chair in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. A broadly trained physical geographer, his research has earned grants from the National Science Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, the National Institute of Health, and the United States Geological Survey. He has also consulted the World Bank, and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities on oceans, atmosphere, and climate. Dr. Tarhule served on the editorial board of the Scientific World Journal, and the African Geographical Review.
Dr. Tarhule was born and raised in Nigeria, where he started his post-secondary education as a first-generation college student. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in environmental resources planning from the University of Jos, Plateau State, in Nigeria. He later earned a second master’s degree and a doctoral degree in geography from McMaster University in Hamilton (Ontario, Canada). He also received a post-doctoral fellowship from the Canadian Science Advisory Council to conduct research at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.
Dr. Tarhule is married to Dr. Roos (pronounced Rohs) Tarhule, a CPA with a Master of Accountancy degree, and a Ph.D. in geography. Together, they have two adult children, son Sesugh (pronounced SEH-soo) of Boston and daughter Doobee (pronounced DOH-bay) of Amsterdam.