University News

A view of the Great Hall inside the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts ahead of the ribbon cutting on Sept. 15.
[Download Print-Quality Image]

WIU Alumnus Issues $10,000 Challenge to Name Final 50 Seats in Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts

October 1, 2026

Share Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL - - With the Western Illinois University Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts (GCPA) officially opened, a final push is underway to finish naming all of the seats in the Great Hall, the main performance facility in the new center.

WIU alumnus Ernest (Ernie) J. Codilis, Jr. `73 has committed to extending the previous seat-naming goal to $35,000, as work continues to name the remaining seats in the Great Hall. For each of the final seats named, Codilis will contribute an additional $100, up to $10,000, to support performances, programs and experiences that bring the GCPA to life for our students, audiences and community. The previously-announced challenge, which launched on Monday, Aug. 31, successfully met its goal the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 15, coinciding with the GCPA ribbon cutting ceremony held that afternoon.

"My four years at WIU were profoundly special and impactful on my life and career," Codilis said. "I'm thrilled to see the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts open on the Macomb campus, as it will certainly become the cultural destination of the region. I'm excited for the many visiting artists to perform there in the coming years, along with the amazing opportunities WIU students will have in this facility. Knowing that this seat campaign involves many generations of Leathernecks means so much to me and my family, and I'm grateful to those supporting this monumental achievement for WIU."

As of Thursday, Oct. 1, 676 seats have been named through donor generosity. Currently, 50 seats are available to be named by donors. The seats in the orchestra level and main level have all been named, and the remaining seats available to be named are all located on the balcony level.

Seats are available for $250 each and will be customized with an inscription selected by the purchaser. Plaques will be permanently installed on the backs of seats, offering a consistent reminder of the donor's generosity.

To name a seat in the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts, donors can make their gift at bit.ly/GCPA_NameMySeat.

In addition to the named seats, donors have provided more than $4 million to support the facility. Their generosity, ranging from $10,000 to multi-million dollar commitments, has been recognized through the naming of 38 impactful spaces throughout the GCPA. Seventeen named spaces remain for potential donors.

Codilis is the founder and president of Codilis & Associates, P.C., an Illinois creditors' rights law firm. Following his graduation from WIU, Codilis received his Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University in 1976. In 2016, Codilis received the WIU Distinguished Alumni Award.

Codilis and his wife, Pamela, a 1977 graduate, have supported WIU through scholarships to the College of Humanities, Arts, Sciences and Education, the School of Social Sciences and Academic Commons and University Libraries.

For more information about the Great Hall seats or other GCPA naming opportunities, please contact Patrick Downing, director of development, at pg-downing@wiu.edu or (309) 298-5320.

For more information about the For the W Campaign and to make a gift to support the students of Western Illinois University, contact the Office of Advancement at 309-298-1861, or go online at wiu.edu/forthew.

Posted By: Drew Donahoo (AM-Donahoo@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing