Illinois' stopgap budget that was approved at the end of June expires next month, and so far, there's no word on any fiscal plan beyond that.
The temporary budget allocated about $1 billion for Illinois' public universities, but it came after a full year without any state funding. Some of the universities have seen significant decline in enrollment and have made major program cuts.
One university president said that Illinois is in the midst of a grand reshaping of the state-university covenant.
Joining Chicago Tonight to discuss the state of public higher education in Illinois are Northern Illinois University President Dr. Doug Baker, Illinois State University President Dr. Larry Dietz, Southern Illinois University System President Dr. Randy Dunn and Governors State University President Dr. Elaine Maimon.
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