Universities demand state budget - Kelsey Landis, Alton Telegraph

Public colleges and universities in Illinois have been left in the dust along with the state’s other unfunded programs since the budget standstill began the first of July. And according to a letter sent last week to Gov. Bruce Rauner from nine state university presidents, the pressure on higher education administrators is mounting. Public universities and colleges have not received a single dollar since July 1, leaving them to operate in the hopes that the state will reimburse their spending. The result — uncertainty on when — and how — to spend existing funds. Construction projects, hiring and tuition grants have been frozen across the state as Rauner and state Speaker of the House Michael Madigan butt heads, and Rauner calls for a 6.5 percent cut in higher education appropriations. http://thetelegraph.com/news/72193/universities-demand-state-budget