Daily Egyptian TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
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Budget stalemate brings accreditation concerns for Illinois state schools ANNA SPOERRE | @AnnaSpoerre
State leaders were asked last week to consider how Illinois’ longest budget impasse is affecting the future of its public higher education system. Barbara Gellman–Danley, president of the Higher Learning Commission — an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education — sent letters Thursday to state government heads and Illinois public college and university officials concerning the state of public education in light of the budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state’s Democratic leaders. The letter to government officials warns of the potential loss of accreditation that can result from a continued failure to pass a state budget. “A criterion for accreditation is demonstration of the ability of financial, physical and human resources necessary to provide quality higher education,” the letter read. University spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said accreditation is crucial because students at unaccredited institutions are ineligible for federal financial aid. “Is it financially problematic? Absolutely,” Goldsmith said of the budget impasse. “But we’re committed to being here.” She said SIU, which has been accredited since 1913, is not currently at risk of losing
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accreditation or closing, like some state institutions, such as Chicago State University. The notice also addresses the possibility of some students transferring or dropping out if their university closes. Goldsmith said the university is not one of
the state institutions required to submit closing procedures. “The university is going to continue its operations,” said John Charles, SIU’s executive director for governmental and public affairs. “But we are obviously affected by the fact that we have not received our state appropriations. We need our budget.” Gellman–Danley’s letter addressed to SIUC interim Chancellor Brad Colwell explicitly states the university is not at fault for the budget crisis, and educational institutions have done all they can to avoid the situation. As a result, university officials have been asked to provide a report to the Higher Learning Commission by Feb. 18 regarding the availability of resources necessary to maintain and support their institutions. SIU officials must outline some information, including financial challenges, cuts to faculty or staff and enrollment numbers. The letter also requires any institution under the threat of closure to submit emergency plans on how its administration will accommodate students in the event that the institution closes. In September, Goldsmith said SIU planned to cut $13.5 million, a total of 6.4 percent, in state funding from the university’s budget. Charles said more than 6,500 students rely on Monetary Award Program funding, which the university has been providing funding for in place of the state since fall. SIU President Randy Dunn, along with other higher education officials, will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Stone Center to discuss the financial crisis. “This is going to be an effort by folks to come together to remind our lawmakers, our legislatures and governor that we need a budget,” Charles said. “We’re waiting for the governor’s budget address on [Feb. 17], and we’re hopeful he has good things to say about higher education.” Anna Spoerre can be reached at aspoerre@dailyegyptian.com or 618536-3325.
SINCE 1916
VOL. 100 ISSUE 45
A procession of nations’ colors
Jacob Wiegand | @JacobWiegand_DE Hussain Soltani, a master’s student in civil engineering from Afghanistan, carries his nation’s flag during the Parade of Flags event that kicked off this year’s International Festival. Soltani is a Fulbright Scholar and arrived in Carbondale last August. He said had some problems in the beginning, but now he is happy to be in Carbondale. “I have found a lot of new friends,” Soltani said. He said this is his first time taking part in the Parade of Flags event and he really enjoys engaging with the international students. International Festival continues with a variety of events scheduled throughout the week.
Left: Hamood AlShoaibi, a Ph.D. candidate in education administration and higher education with a dissertation in economics of education from Muscat, Oman, carries the flag of Oman across campus Monday during the Parade of Flags event that kicked off this year’s International Festival. “It’s very nice to see all of those international students carrying out their flags celebrating the International Festival,” AlShoaibi said. “I’m proud to participate for the first time in this event.” Jacob Wiegand @JacobWiegand_DE
Obama confronts a failure of his presidency in Illinois capital MIKE DORNING AND ELIZABETH CAMPBELL | Bloomberg News
Presidents in the final year of their terms love to highlight their legacies. When Barack Obama journeys to the Illinois state capital this week, he’ll instead point up one of his presidency’s greatest failures. National political divisions and partisan rancor have grown worse, not better, under Obama, a development he has acknowledged as one of the biggest regrets of his administration. And Springfield has become a funhouse mirror of Washington’s dysfunction: a Republican governor locked in a standoff with a Democratic
legislature, producing a financial crisis that has left the state without a budget for 222 days and forced cuts in services to the disabled, homeless and the elderly. Obama on Wednesday will address the stalemated Illinois legislature nine years to the day after he announced his presidential campaign a few blocks away. At the time, he held up the state’s government as proof that Washington politicians could overcome partisan differences to solve problems. As the Obama era nears its end, the two capitals are more alike, though not as candidate Obama would have hoped.
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“I know he’s been frustrated by the gridlock in Washington and he’s talked about the importance of bipartisan compromise,” Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner told reporters last week. “We need that here.” Since Obama was elected, Republicans and Democrats in Washington have clashed so fiercely that the government partially shut down for 16 days in 2013. Congress has flirted with a default on the nation’s debt three times in Obama’s presidency. Divisive rhetoric is driving the campaign to succeed him.
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