Illinois Universities Face Closures, Layoffs as State Budget Impasse Continues - ISAAC PARK, Prospect

As lawmakers in Springfield fail to pass a 2016 budget, college students are "being held hostage." An eight-month-long state budget standoff in Illinois could shut down a 148-year-old, predominately African American university on Chicago’s South Side if state lawmakers cannot resolve a funding dispute soon. The impasse affects the entire Illinois public higher education system, with many colleges and universities facing layoffs, furloughs, and class cancellations. http://prospect.org/article/illinois-universities-face-closures-layoffs-state-budget-impasse-continues