Thursday, January 7, 2016

Illinois and Pennsylvania State Universities Burdened by Budget Impasse - Kellie Woodhouse, Inside Higher Ed

Some universities in Illinois don’t know how they’re going to make payroll in a few months if the state’s politicians don’t pass a budget soon. Now halfway through the fiscal year, Illinois’s Legislature and governor still have not agreed on a 2015-16 budget, forcing countless agencies and services -- including the state’s multibillion-dollar public higher education sector -- to find ways to fund operating costs and scholarships that would otherwise be covered by the state. As a result, universities are dipping into reserves, laying off faculty members and even considering borrowing against future state appropriations to cover costs while they wait for a state budget. Officials characterize the landscape as a desperate one. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/07/universities-left-footing-bill-budget-crisis-looms-illinois