University of Illinois trustees are scheduled to vote Thursday on a resolution urging state lawmakers to agree on a budget. The impasse has been weighing on the minds of many public university leaders.
The U of I resolution says the university has taken steps to cut spending but has had to dip into cash reserves. Illinois has been without a budget since July. Students across the state are also worried about how the impasse affects MAP grants to help pay for college.
Northern Illinois University President Doug Baker says he has made several trips to Springfield...
"The higher education community’s united. We’ve been visiting with the governor and legislators as a team of presidents, both within the four-year sector, as well as the community colleges," Baker said. "And so, we really all are on the same page. We need capital budgets, we need operating budgets, [and] we need to rebuild the confidence of the people of the state that we’re going to invest in higher education that’s so critical for our future."
Baker recently told the campus community the school will extend the MAP credit to qualifying students in the spring semester should the state budget stalemate extend beyond the first of the calendar year.
