Governors State University has announced it is closing its Illinois Small Business Development Center and its Illinois SBDC International Trade Center due to the state's budget crisis. University President Elaine P. Maimon noted a 70% cut in state appropriations for fiscal year 2016 and only a six-month, stop-gap budget for fiscal year 2017.
She says as a result, Governor State must move funds used to match federal and state dollars to departments that will maintain student services.
Maimon called the decision to close the programs a difficult one, adding the development center had been a "definitive resource" for business owners and entrepreneurs in Chicago's southern suburbs.
University officials say the centers have helped more than 6,000 clients create 4,650 new jobs since 2001.
