U of I Urbana Chancellor Barbara Wilson Weighs In On Inaction In Springfield

University of Illinois Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said the ongoing budget impasse in Springfield is an untenable situation that continues to weigh on both the morale and finances of the Champaign-Urbana campus.

"We can't go on forever under this kind of uncertainty," Wilson said in an interview on Monday.

While Wilson said it hasn't yet been a significant issue with recruiting, she's sending out the message to faculty to "hang in there."

That's despite a number of recent high-profile faculty members announcing they're leaving the U of I -- most recently, the Beckman Institute's Arthur Kramer and the Dean of the College of ACES, Laurie Kramer. The husband and wife will move to Northeastern University in Boston. 

When asked what would happen if the budget impasse wasn't resolved until after the November election, Wilson said that would be "devastating". 

"We have a very big and robust budget, but a lot of it is in categories that we have to spend on deferred maintenance and we're having to pull those kind of priorities and spend it on every day kinds of costs," she said. "We can't go on forever under this kind of uncertainty and stress."