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 And, they say, if state government continues to short them, a
college degree is only going to cost more.
Three university bosses, from Illinois State University, Western
Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, were in
Springfield on Wednesday for their turn to face the legislative
budget-making process. And all three said they're not nearly as
worried about the next state budget as they are about the current
spending plan.
The university presidents at ISU, WIU and NIU say that the state has
paid them only half of what they're owed.
Northern Illinois University's John Peters said his school is
supposed to get $100 million from Springfield, one-fourth of NIU's
$400 million budget. But so far only $60 million has arrived.
"We don't have a budget problem," Peters said. "We have a cash-flow
problem."
It's a problem serious enough to worry Peters each month. The top
man at NIU said the school has never missed a payday, though he gets
nervous each time checks get cut.
Western Illinois University's Al Goldfarb said workers won't go
without a check. But buildings have had to go without a new coat of
paint or classrooms without new technology.
"The state owes Western $50 million, which means that it's becoming
harder and harder to provide equipment support for our students and
to take care of facilities," said Goldfarb.
Goldfarb said the budget crunch has not affected plans for a WIU
campus in the Quad Cities. That project is being paid for with money
from Illinois' multibillion statewide construction plan. The
cash-flow problems stem from the state's main checking account.
Illinois State University President Al Bowman is waiting for $20
million from the state. But that is still a big chunk of the $59
million the school had expected from Springfield.
Bowman said each dollar that is cut, or is late, has to be made up
somewhere.
"We've made a number of cost-saving moves that I think that have
helped us. In the larger picture, we've kept our long-term debt low,
and that has helped us," Bowman said. "We're also under (a) hiring
freeze. We have close to 200 vacant positions. Last year, we didn't
provide salary increases for faculty and staff. We did a very modest
cost-of-living adjustment this year. We simply tightened our belt.
We've deferred many of our maintenance projects."
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If that doesn't work, the university presidents say, tuition
increases are possible.
But NIU's Peters said there is only so much that can be asked of
parents and students to pay before the cost of a college education
becomes unattainable.
"I think that what's happened is that the states and federal
government have backed off of their long-term commitment to help our
next generation get a great postsecondary education," Peters said.
Lawmakers said they are just as committed to quality colleges and
universities as ever. It's just that the state is broke.
State Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said Illinois is trying to
climb out from the recession. Kotwoski said universities, like
everyone else, are going to have to wait their turn. But he insists
the schools will be paid.
"We're moving forward in that direction. We passed the revenue in
order to pay the bills, and we're looking at this restructuring our
debt in order get them the money that they need to pay their bills,"
Kotowski said. "That's an obvious step that we need to take. It's
very important that we pass the revenue. The second step is making
sure we pay the bills so that they can keep their doors open. They
provide a very valuable, essential and important service to the
state of Illinois."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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