U of I sticks with high budget request from the state

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — The leaders of each branch of the University of Illinois System came to the Capitol to give their requests for this year’s budget.

President of the University of Illinois System Timothy Killeen called for a 12 percent increase in the funding provided from the state. The Board of Trustees approved this ask back in the Fall, but since then, the Governor proposed his own version of the budget, which only included a 2% increase to the higher education funding.

Killeen made his case to the committee, saying the University earned this increase.

“Every dollar invested by the state produces 11% return back to the state,” Killeen said. “In all, the UI system generates $19 billion a year for the state’s economy and support 164,000 jobs.”

Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) questioned the University system on the allotment of their funding. The state money that is issued to the system is split up among campuses by the system itself. Rose took issue with the amount of money being spent per student being higher at the UIC campus than the Champaign-Urbana campus.

“I’m saying that kids at Chicago, we’re spending $10,000 per student in state GRF funds, not including the hospital, not including DPI,” Rose said in the hearing. “We’re spending $7,500 on a kid or you could lower the kids in Urbana’s tuition costs if we allocated that more fairly within your actual budget. Should we start allocating by campus to make sure Urbana gets what it deserves?”

Killeen defended the university’s position, while also saying more conversations can be had going forward.

“So we’re very proud of our record,” Killeen said in response to Rose’s line of questioning. “Now, can we tweak that? Yeah, I think that’s that’s the take a look at that.”

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