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* UPDATED 1x - SIU Board to meet on Dunn * Higher ed group to continue working this summer

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Illinois

* Hoping to find a way to keep Illinois youth from flocking to other states, a bi-partisan group of legislators interested in the performance and condition of the state’s public higher education institutions will continue working through the summer.

The group has previously pushed ideas such as four-year MAP grants and a $25 million grant program to provide financial assistance to students based on merit…

“We have a lot of students whose family income is above the threshold for Pell and MAP (grants), so they don’t qualify for any of the need-based financial aid,” Burke said. “But the families also don’t have $20,000 sitting around for them to go to school, so people end up borrowing.”

Though the bulk of the financial aid given by the University is need-based, beginning in 2019, the University will match the amount of state money it receives from AIM HIGH with its own institutional dollars to be distributed, on the basis of merit, to students who are Illinois residents.

“The two main reasons why people don’t end up accepting our admissions officer is because of our cost and lack of financial aid,” said Dan Mann, interim associate provost for enrollment management at the University. “We’re hopeful that this program will help us provide more financial aid that will attract more Illinois students here.”

Next on the group’s agenda, according to state Rep. Dan Brady, is a discussion on “what those universities are capable of doing and what they’re not capable of doing and shouldn’t be doing” and possibly a more formalized funding formula…

The working group plan on later this summer reconvening into what will be the fall veto session and really focusing in now on what is going to be some type of funding formula. I don’t think there’s anyone in Springfield who can explain what is the funding formula for higher education in the state of Illinois. And so, that is going to be something, and I think we’ll probably have some of the ideas that mirror K-12 and the new funding formula there. I think that will be very, very helpful.

Universities have been cut numerous times over the past decade, and neighboring states have diverted some Illinois high school seniors by lowering their tuition rates to what they would charge their own residents. And then the impasse happened…

By (John) Jackson’s analysis, the two-year impasse left SIUC with about 41.5 percent of its normal budget.

“In other words, we lost 58.5 percent in higher ed over that two-year period. No big organization can reduce 58.5 percent of their base budget and not be hurt by it,” Jackson said.
…
SIU had been allowed $178.8 million in state appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018, a 10 percent decrease from FY15, the last normal year before the budget crisis.

The university system’s state appropriations peaked at just shy of $250 million in 2002 under Republican Gov. George Ryan. After gradual state disinvestment in the 2000s, the FY18 payout was the lowest since 1994.

UPDATE - The Southern Illinoisan is reporting the SIU Board of Trustees will have a special meeting Thursday to, among other agenda items, discuss placing President Randy Dunn on administrative leave and appointing an acting president during an investigation…

This Thursday, the board will begin in open session for public comments and questions followed by some routine orders of business. In addition, the board is slated to give authorization to pursue a campus funding allocation study and engage a consultant to evaluate the system’s funding formula.

Next, the meeting will close to the public for an executive session so that the board can discuss “pending, possible or imminent court proceedings against or on behalf of the Board; and appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees,” according to the meeting notice.

Related…

* State rep. launches petition drive calling for IBHE study of SIU funding: Stuart said she was launching the petition because the SIU Board of Trustees failed to reallocate $5.1 million to SIUE this spring. The board was also split on whether to support her resolution.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 11:42 am

Comments

– “The two main reasons why people don’t end up accepting our admissions officer is because of our cost and lack of financial aid,” –

I hate it when our admissions OFFICER is rejected.

Comment by Leigh John-Ella Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 11:49 am
===“In other words, we lost 58.5 percent in higher ed over that two-year period. No big organization can reduce 58.5 percent of their base budget and not be hurt by it,” Jackson said.
…
SIU had been allowed $178.8 million in state appropriations for Fiscal Year 2018, a 10 percent decrease from FY15, the last normal year before the budget crisis.

The university system’s state appropriations peaked at just shy of $250 million in 2002 under Republican Gov. George Ryan. After gradual state disinvestment in the 2000s, the FY18 payout was the lowest since 1994.===

Bruce, Diana, and their $112 million… they want universities closed.

The $20 million used to buy the Raunerite Caucuses did this.

Bought Raunerites obliged, even ones with higher education in their districts.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 11:58 am
we think Rep. Brady is referin’ to rationing whihc is tool in the Koch Brothers tool box. Keep em dumb and we can save money

Comment by annonin' Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:00 pm
what universities should be and should not be doing…..take a look at the community college system before you go attacking the universities. big money and questions about results. our state needs to spend the money on universities.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:02 pm
In the 99th General Assembly, and even up to the Higher Education stopgap, the Raunerites of the General Assembly were “fine” with refusing to fully fund higher education for the entire 99th General Assembly.

To think any Raunerite of the 99th General Assembly cares for the state universities in any meaningful way (funding for an entire fiscal year) except to use the institutions for leverage to end prevailing wage and collective bargaining… you missed the entire 99th General Assembly.

In budgeting, you fund something at a level of zero if you want it gone.

That’s how budgeting works, and no signed full fiscal year funding… well…

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:11 pm
Amalia, I am missing your point. The big money is at the university level. Community colleges in Illinois serve 60% of the students but get only 15% of the higher ed funding. You think that split helps with results?

Comment by Rural Stuff Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:47 pm
Don’t kid yourselves: the goal of the Republicans with respect to higher ed is to eliminate the humanities, because it’s the most liberal part of most every university.

Comment by filmmaker prof Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 1:12 pm
Rural Stuff - you need to understand that higher ed isn’t just for teaching students. Several of our state universities are major research centers (UIUC is the biggest). Research is very expensive.

Comment by filmmaker prof Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 1:15 pm
@- Rural Stuff - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:47 pm:

Amalia, I am missing your point. The big money is at the university level. Community colleges in Illinois serve 60% of the students but get only 15% of the higher ed funding. You think that split helps with results?

Apples to Oranges. Part of the community college funding is from local property taxes. The universities do not get any funding from local property taxes.

Comment by DuPage Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 1:18 pm
Perhaps the universities are doing these kids a favor by overpricing their product resulting in these students attending college in states with better long-term prospects.

Comment by Occam Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 2:20 pm
I feel the need to disclose that I am a hurdle short of a doc degree from the flagship and that my checkbook knows the value of research.

Comment by Rural stuff Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 2:34 pm
Fund higher education and lower tuition, it’s really that simple.

Comment by Ryan Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 4:06 pm
Perhaps if “the humanities” stayed out of the bathrooms with their video cameras, they would be a smaller target for the right wing.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 6:38 pm
SIU board will hold a special meeting. Further proof that Rewarding higher ed with more funds is nonsense. I wonder how much this will cost the state. Let’s commission another study of adults to find out the problem. The kids have the answers. Ask Em why they are not attending SIUC and Eastern.

Comment by BlueDogDem Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 6:50 pm
When SIU President Randy Dunn “went out on a limb” for SIUC and negotiated a $35 million loan from SIUE to SIUC, I don’t remember any of the ‘Only SIUC Cabal’ complaining that he was conspiring against SIUC, then. THE INEVITABLE OUTCOME OF THE UNREASONABLE, ASININE ACTIONS OF THE ‘Only SIUC Cabal’ WILL BE ACTION BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, WHICH WILL RESULT IN: 1) a split of the campuses. If this occurs, SIUC is the major loser, as it will pit the SIUC region v. the ‘old SIUE’/metro east region for funding of its respective university, each year; AND/OR 2) the legislature will decide, instead of the SIU Board of Trustees, what should be the appropriate ratio of funding between SIUC and SIUE. If this happens, the funding ratio for SIUC will be far worse than anything that SIUE or President Dunn would have ever proposed. HOWEVER, WE MUST ALL UNDERSTAND THIS: THE ‘Only SIUC Cabal’ DOESN’T REALLY CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO SIUC OR THE SIUC REGION. They are motivated by self-serving interests and cronyism. As long as SIUC functions to serve their needs and the needs of their cronies, SIUC’s and the SIU System’s health as an effective, efficient public entity, which serves the PUBLIC’s best interest, is inconsequential.

Comment by SIUC Saluki 1987 2002 Wednesday, Jun 20, 18 @ 6:01 pm