Schools starting to feel budget pinch - Julie Wurth, State Journal Register

The headlines about the state's colleges and universities grow more dire with each passing week. Layoffs, furloughs, budget cuts, financial emergencies, student protests from Charleston to Chicago, even a warning from Moody's about the schools' long-term viability. The pressure, says Western Illinois University budget Director Matt Bierman, "has gone from mild to serious very quickly as we progress through the spring semester." While most schools say they can make it through the semester without the $2 billion in operating funds the state owes colleges and universities this year, it's not clear what would happen in the fall. And there's a general unease about the future. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-02-21/schools-starting-feel-budget-pinch.html