Latest news with #IBHE
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker criticizes $500 student board scholarships amid lowered K‑12 standards
(The Center Square) – Illinois student leaders serving on state higher education boards will now receive $500-per-semester scholarships under a recently signed law championed by Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria. State Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Pomona, who serves on the higher education appropriations committee, says recently signed Senate Bill 1475 is another unnecessary expense for taxpayers at a time when the state faces far greater challenges. "We have to cut expenses instead of doling out expenses that are really completely unnecessary in my estimation," said Jacobs. "I just don't see a state that has the problems that this state has with finances extending out for more expenses." Jacobs questioned the integrity of students serving on these boards if compensated, suggesting it could undermine their motivations. "The kids that are doing this do it because they're encouraged to do it. It's going to go really great on their college applications that they're self-starters. As soon as you pay them, are they really self-starters?" He further argued that such compensation might negatively impact their college applications, stating, "I think it could actually backfire and go against them when they're trying to get into a really good college." Koehler, in a news release, emphasized that the scholarship rewards the time and effort students dedicate to serving on higher education boards and encourages continued engagement in improving Illinois' colleges and universities. 'These students do incredibly valuable work for Illinois,' Koehler said. 'Providing this modest financial support demonstrates that our state values their dedication and appreciates their contributions.' The bill becoming law comes as the Illinois State Board of Education recently voted to lower proficiency benchmarks for K‑12 students. Jacobs warned that paying students to sit on boards while struggling students fail to meet basic reading and math standards sends the wrong message about priorities in Illinois education. "Let's focus on the basics, reading, writing, and math, rather than all these extracurricular activities. It's great that some students serve on these boards, but I don't think they should be paid. We can't afford it, and frankly, if I were a college admissions officer, seeing that they were paid for this might raise questions." Jacobs was asked about the value of students serving on the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board. 'I think that's always good to learn something about that. I don't know if it's really a tremendous experience for them or not. I don't think I've ever met one of the kids that is doing this,' said Jacobs. 'We should focus more on ensuring students from kindergarten through 12th grade can read, write, and do math." Currently, two students serve on the 16-member Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). These student members are selected by the Student Advisory Committee of the IBHE. The 11-member Illinois Community College Board has one student member. Since SB1475 lacks explicit appropriation language, the funding likely could come from general state appropriations, to be allocated in a future budget by the Illinois General Assembly, probably administered through relevant agencies like the Board of Higher Education or Community College Board, or potentially through the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). Jacobs confirmed that ultimately it'd be taxpayers paying for the $500-per-semester scholarships. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: To keep more college students in state, Illinois must keep tuition affordable
Illinois is home to some of the finest universities in the country. But it's losing students to out-of-state colleges, and many of these young people are choosing not to come home after graduation. What's driving students to head for out-of-state options? It's pretty simple: tuition costs, financial aid and perceived 'quality.' Nearly half of the Illinois high school graduates who go on to college are pursuing degrees out of state, according to research from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Their top six destinations are all in the Midwest: Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio. By comparison, IBHE notes that in 2002, just 29% of four-year, college-going high school graduates enrolled outside of Illinois. To his credit, Gov. JB Pritzker is taking this issue seriously. 'There is a 70% likelihood that when they get to whatever that university is outside of Illinois, they're not coming back,' said Pritzker at a news conference earlier this month. 'That's a real problem, so we want to keep our best and brightest in the state.' To fix it, he supports legislation to allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees. Increasing the supply of four-year degree options is good for everyone except the existing four-year public universities — we like options, not least of all because more choices for students means schools have to compete for applicants. Competition means providing good programming and keeping costs low for would-be attendees. And while many of our more prominent higher education institutions have the programming bit down, tuition is pricing out Illinois students and their families. Forget about private institutions such as Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, where annual tuition costs the same as the down payment for a new home. Look at our state institutions. In 2000, in-state tuition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for an in-state student was $4,526. Today, tuition is about four times as much, ranging from $18,046 to $23,426 depending on what degree program a student pursues. When you factor in housing and food costs, plus books, supplies and other expenses, the total cost is over $40,000 a year. For an in-state student. This price tag induces anxiety in the hearts of parents the state over, who are socking away money in the hopes of being able to help their kids get a good degree. For kids whose parents can't afford to help out, the prospect of taking on $160,000 in student loans is not appealing. In the 1990s and early 2000s, many college students took out loans to be able to afford a college degree, a decision that left them with five-figure or six-figure debt to pay off. After witnessing the resultant financial stress Gen X and millennials have experienced, it's not hard to understand why the next generation is much more risk-averse. Community college is less expensive — tuition and fees at Harper College in the northwest suburbs are just $4,839 per year. That's why many students opt to begin their college careers by getting required credits out of the way for less at community colleges. It's just far more affordable. Yes, expanding community college degree offerings is a good thing. It won't, in our opinion, go far enough to keep college kids in-state. Only competitive tuition pricing at our major four-year institutions can do that. Like everything in Illinois, it all comes back to the money. It's no coincidence that the cost of funding the State Universities Retirement System is consuming a much larger share of the higher education budget. With more state higher education money going toward SURS pension costs, students and their families have to make up the difference. In 2002, the state paid for about 72% of public university costs on average, while students covered 28% through tuition and fees. By 2020, this had nearly reversed, with the state covering only 35.6% on average and students paying 64.4%, according to IBHE. If this trend continues, our public institutions will remain uncompetitive — and so will our workforce. The rising cost of college tuition is an example of how everyday people feel the burden of increasing state government debt and expenses. Brain drain is the painful result. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
09-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: To keep more college students in state, Illinois must keep tuition affordable
Illinois is home to some of the finest universities in the country. But it's losing students to out-of-state colleges, and many of these young people are choosing not to come home after graduation. What's driving students to head for out-of-state options? It's pretty simple: tuition costs, financial aid and perceived 'quality.' Nearly half of the Illinois high school graduates who go on to college are pursuing degrees out of state, according to research from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Their top six destinations are all in the Midwest: Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio. By comparison, IBHE notes that in 2002, just 29% of four-year, college-going high school graduates enrolled outside of Illinois. To his credit, Gov. JB Pritzker is taking this issue seriously. 'There is a 70% likelihood that when they get to whatever that university is outside of Illinois, they're not coming back,' said Pritzker at a news conference earlier this month. 'That's a real problem, so we want to keep our best and brightest in the state.' To fix it, he supports legislation to allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees. Increasing the supply of four-year degree options is good for everyone except the existing four-year public universities — we like options, not least of all because more choices for students means schools have to compete for applicants. Competition means providing good programming and keeping costs low for would-be attendees. And while many of our more prominent higher education institutions have the programming bit down, tuition is pricing out Illinois students and their families. Forget about private institutions such as Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, where annual tuition costs the same as the down payment for a new home. Look at our state institutions. In 2000, in-state tuition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for an in-state student was $4,526. Today, tuition is about four times as much, ranging from $18,046 to $23,426 depending on what degree program a student pursues. When you factor in housing and food costs, plus books, supplies and other expenses, the total cost is over $40,000 a year. For an in-state student. This price tag induces anxiety in the hearts of parents the state over, who are socking away money in the hopes of being able to help their kids get a good degree. For kids whose parents can't afford to help out, the prospect of taking on $160,000 in student loans is not appealing. In the 1990s and early 2000s, many college students took out loans to be able to afford a college degree, a decision that left them with five-figure or six-figure debt to pay off. After witnessing the resultant financial stress Gen X and millennials have experienced, it's not hard to understand why the next generation is much more risk-averse. Community college is less expensive — tuition and fees at Harper College in the northwest suburbs are just $4,839 per year. That's why many students opt to begin their college careers by getting required credits out of the way for less at community colleges. It's just far more affordable. Yes, expanding community college degree offerings is a good thing. It won't, in our opinion, go far enough to keep college kids in-state. Only competitive tuition pricing at our major four-year institutions can do that. Like everything in Illinois, it all comes back to the money. It's no coincidence that the cost of funding the State Universities Retirement System is consuming a much larger share of the higher education budget. With more state higher education money going toward SURS pension costs, students and their families have to make up the difference. In 2002, the state paid for about 72% of public university costs on average, while students covered 28% through tuition and fees. By 2020, this had nearly reversed, with the state covering only 35.6% on average and students paying 64.4%, according to IBHE. If this trend continues, our public institutions will remain uncompetitive — and so will our workforce. The rising cost of college tuition is an example of how everyday people feel the burden of increasing state government debt and expenses. Brain drain is the painful result.
