Springfield, Illinois – The time is now for legislators and the governor to find a solution for the stalemate over higher education funding as colleges and universities face a growing crisis in its eighth month, a new coalition will announce on Monday.
Local members of the Illinois Coalition to Invest in Higher Education will join with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and other officials for a news conference at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 15, at the University of Illinois-Springfield to outline what’s at stake in the ongoing funding stalemate and how that is affecting and will affect campuses around the state. Group Unites to Urge Lawmakers, Governor to Solve Months-Long Funding Stalemate.
The Coalition is a collection of business, labor, and organizations representing public and private colleges and universities coming together to urge immediate action. Illinois universities and colleges have gone without hundreds of millions of dollars in MAP grants and operational funding since July, and aid has not been included in relief packages approved by legislators and the governor since the summer while they have not reached agreement on a full-year budget. The Coalition kicked off its push in January with a Statehouse news conference, and this local event is one of several around the state designed to raise awareness of the funding crisis and build pressure on policymakers for a solution.
What: Springfield news conference of the Illinois Coalition to Invest in Higher Education
Who: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
Coalition membership representing:
Public and private colleges and universities, and community colleges
University and college employees and retirees
College students and families
Business organizations
Labor organizations
When: Monday, Feb. 15
11 a.m.
Where: University of Illinois-Springfield
Public Affairs Center, Conference Room G
Springfield
Alicja Otap
