University of Illinois administrators are condemning the “hate-filled violence” in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. The statement is signed by U of I President Tim Killeen and the chancellors of the three university campuses.
As the state of Illinois approaches two years without a full budget, University of Illinois president Timothy Killeen remains optimistic that legislators and the governor will come to an agreement.
Illinois Public Media and NPR Illinois hosted an Illinois Issues Forum on the state budget impasse. Illinois residents who have been directly impacted discussed the burden placed on their community.
Gov. Bruce Rauner wrapped a 10-city tour with a visit to a Champaign manufacturer Wednesday. As his call for budget reforms wrapped at HL Precision Manufacturing on the city's west side, about 25 members of state government unions called on the Republican governor to 'do your job', saying Rauner should come to the table to negotiate with AFSCME. A Rauner spokesperson says the trek around the state, which was not on the governor's official schedule, was not about his re-election campaign, although it was paid for with political funds.
The University of Illinois' Board of Trustees is has launched an initiative to boost system-wide enrollment to more than 90,000 students by 2021. Thursday's meeting also saw the election of a new Trustees' chair, Dr. Timothy Koritz, and approval to freeze in-state tuition rates for a third straight year. Meanwhile, a number of students are again calling for the U of I to declare the school a 'sanctuary campus' to help those who are in the country illegally.
