With Illinois budget deal secured, public universities still face challenges - Dawn Rhodes, Chicago Tribune

For the first time in more than two years, Illinois' public universities can start the school year with the promise of state money from Springfield. Illinois had gone 736 days without a budget when lawmakers overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a spending plan and tax hike July 6. State universities received a fraction of their typical state funding before the spigot was shut off in 2017 — spurring campus shutdowns, layoffs, program cuts, maintenance failures and construction delays along the way. School leaders shared the same reaction: relief. But while the budget satisfies many short-term needs, many say they face a daunting challenge to undo the havoc that the impasse wreaked upon the reputation and fiscal stability of public higher education in Illinois. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-budget-deal-universities-met-20170713-story.html