Is Illinois walking away from higher education? - Jim Nowlan, News Gazette

"Illinois is slowly walking away from higher education," laments one long-time state government insider. For the coming year, Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed cutting direct appropriations for our public colleges and universities by almost $400 million, or about 20 percent. This after more than a decade during which direct funding to the public universities has been cut almost every year, certainly in inflation-adjusted terms. Unfortunately, state spending increases for pensions and the Medicaid health care program have been crowding out spending for higher education and social service programs. http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2015-03-22/illinois-walking-away-higher-education.html