Illinois, summer and beyond

The Illinois General Assembly voted today to provide funding to keep the state’s public universities and community colleges going through the summer. Each school will receive roughly thirty percent of what would have been its FY 2016 appropriation, with the exception of Chicago State University, which will receive roughly sixty percent of its appropriation. Today’s legislation also funds MAP grants for the fall 2105 semester, leaving schools in the hole for the spring. The Chicago Tribune has the story.

Some money is better than no money, but today’s vote does nothing to provide a secure future for public higher education in Illinois, no more than having three months’ rent on hand would provide a secure future for a tenant. Things are precarious, and further damage to public higher education in our state is, I think, inevitable. It will come in the form of lower fall 2016 enrollments, more layoffs, and, eventually, the elimination of programs. My best guess as to where our governor wants to take us: to Wisconsin, land of “flexibility.”

Related reading
All OCA Illinois higher-ed crisis posts (Pinboard)