Statement on State of Illinois Budget

July 4, 2017

URBANA – Tim Killeen, president, University of Illinois System, has released this statement regarding the State of Illinois budget: 

We are grateful to the legislators who voted to support a budget and a revenue bill that provides higher education funding for the second half of FY17 and for the full year of FY18 (with a 10% cut). This financial support is crucial to ensure the continued excellence of the University of Illinois System, which enrolls more than 81,000 students and plays a key role in economic development for our state. Thankfully, the budget also includes restoration of MAP funding for thousands of students across the state. 

We hope the lessons learned during this long and difficult impasse will help to restore long-term stability and provide predictable funding year after year so we can plan our future and expand our impact on the public good. We urge the governor to sign the legislation.

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The University of Illinois System is a world leader in research and discovery, and the largest educational institution in the state with more than 81,000 students, 24,000 faculty and staff, and universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I System awards more than 20,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually.