Budget cuts are looming for many Illinois State Colleges as Governor Elect Bruce Rauner prepares to enter office.
A memo sent out via email from the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Executive Director James Applegate who met with members of Rauner’s transition team on Nov. 23, explained upcoming cuts to the budget meant to fund Illinois public universities. The cuts will reach a combined 30% by 2016.
The impact of these cuts will be assessed by institutions throughout the state who must prepare for making up for the budget shortfalls.
With less than two years to address the cuts, many universities have limited options.
The impact of these cuts can be severe, leaving money to be taken away from in state school scholarship funds which allow many low income students to attend college. Schools may need to find other means to make up for the budget cuts, which includes decreased spending on school facilities.
The Rauner transition team has publicly stated since the memo was leaked that the point of the memo was not to force universities to make any preparations for cuts, but to instead find out more information on what options universities will take in the case of these cuts being implemented.
In a statement from Rauner’s spokesman, Michael Schrimpf to the Associated Press, “This was purely a fact-gathering process…This was not some kind of edict.”
The fear held by many students at public universities have risen over the news, and Senior Engineering Major Richard Hennessey at Southern Illinois University said, “I pay out of pocket just enough to get through my time at school. For students a few classes behind me, I seriously wonder how they will be able to afford continuing to go to Southern Illinois without more financial help.”
For private universities such as Saint Xavier University, these cuts are not likely to have as traumatic an impact since the university is not solely funded by state funds.
However with no concrete cuts decided upon yet by Rauner no real measure of impact can be assessed at this time.
For more information on Governor Elect Rauner and his transition into office, as well as Rauner’s proposed budget cuts to state universities, continue to read and follow the Xavierite.
Jake Alleruzzo
Senior News Editor