Batinick: Enrollment falls across Illinois universities, but prices keep climbing

By Mark Batinick

05/28/2025

Illinois’ university system is losing students to other states as prices per student top the nation. The system and its funding need an overhaul, but state leaders instead are considering letting community colleges create even more competition.

TAGS: higher education

Brandon Johnson pickets with Chicago State University strikers

By Dylan Sharkey

04/12/2023

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson stood with striking Chicago State University faculty. Eastern Illinois University and Governors State University are also undergoing faculty strikes.

TAGS: Brandon Johnson

Illinois colleges receive credit rating upgrade, but structural problems remain

By Robert Brutvan

07/26/2017

Many reforms are still needed in Illinois higher education system despite credit rating affirmations and upgrades to seven Illinois universities.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, education, higher education

Understanding why the new budget fails Illinoisans

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

07/13/2017

Tax hikes on struggling Illinoisans as the state is bordering on a recession, a lack of structural spending reforms, no true pension reform, $100 million in pork spending, and the continued threat of a junk credit rating are among the ways the new Illinois budget fails taxpayers.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, debt, income tax, pensions, taxes

Moody’s downgrades 7 Illinois universities, 5 are junk

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

06/13/2017

Illinois universities have hiked tuition and relied on state subsidies to pay for exorbitant administrative salaries — and now credit rating agencies are punishing them for that destructive behavior.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, CSU: Chicago State University, EIU: Eastern Illinois University, higher education, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Moody's Investor Service, NIU: Northeastern Illinois University, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, WIU: Western Illinois University

Illinois brain drain symptom of a larger problem

By Scott Reeder

08/27/2015

As adults are migrating to states with better business climates, so too are new high school graduates.

Auditor’s report reveals disturbing accounting trends in Illinois public university system

By Brian Costin

03/31/2013

the overall trend indicates that The Illinois public university system is getting worse in complying with state and federal laws, leaving the system vulnerable to future cases of public corruption.

TAGS: corruption

When will the whining end and the reforming begin?

12/31/2012

None of the plans Illinois lawmakers are considering will go anywhere near solving the states long-term pension crisis.

Pancakes, snow cones and robot dragons

12/21/2011

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., released Wastebook 2011, a report covering 100 examples of wasteful government spending. The examples range from millions of dollars to just a few thousand dollars, but all highlight how government uses taxpayer money to fund unnecessary projects, often not relating at all the to core purposes...

Keeping up with the Borrowing Fad

06/23/2010

by Ashley Muchow Eastern Illinois University will borrow up to $7 million to cover university expenses up to August as it eagerly anticipates $19 million in overdue state appropriations. Early this month Governor Quinn signed into law an amendment to Senate Bill 0642 allowing Illinois’s nine public universities to take out loans to cover three quarters of what the...

Eastern Illinois University

Batinick: Enrollment falls across Illinois universities, but prices keep climbing

Brandon Johnson pickets with Chicago State University strikers

Illinois colleges receive credit rating upgrade, but structural problems remain

Understanding why the new budget fails Illinoisans

Moody’s downgrades 7 Illinois universities, 5 are junk

Illinois brain drain symptom of a larger problem

Auditor’s report reveals disturbing accounting trends in Illinois public university system

When will the whining end and the reforming begin?

Pancakes, snow cones and robot dragons

Keeping up with the Borrowing Fad

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students