Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff
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sealhall74
- Posts: 5985
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
- Location: Wherever, Windblows
Now retired, I wish I had a part-time job where I could show up to work about 9 or 10 days a month like the Illinois legislative bozos. Yea, I know they are kissing a lot of asses on the other days, but still...
Embrace the pace of the race.
The "circus" returns to Springfield on Monday (April 24). They will have until May 31 to come up with a budget.sealhall74 wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:58 amI wish I had a part-time job where I could show up to work about 9 or 10 days a month like the Illinois legislative bozos.
The 2016 State Higher Education Finance report released on Thursday by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association identified our state as an outlier, saying: “It’s impossible to examine state higher education finances in 2016 without separating the collapse in Illinois from a more nuanced picture across the rest of the country.”
The report noted that thanks to the 22-month long budget impasse, appropriations per full-time student dropped by 80 percent in Illinois. Enrollment in public institutions dropped by 46,000 students. Illinois was so horrible it weighed down the rest of the country: If Illinois is included, overall public support for higher education fell by 1.8 percent. Remove Illinois, and overall support increased by 3.2 percent.
That’s mortifying.
The blows kept coming Thursday, as S&P Global Ratings downgraded the bond status of six public universities and the Chicago community college system. Five of the state’s universities now are in junk bond territory, which means if they want to borrow, they’ll pay more in interest. Ominously, earlier in the week Moody’s Investors Service placed seven of the state’s universities on review for potential downgrades. The bad news is far from over.
And yet, no visible action on a budget.
The main priority appears to have shifted to next year’s gubernatorial race, with pleas to compromise on a spending plan shoved to the side. They are fighting to take over a state that will be in ruins by the time the next governor is elected: If the now-frequent prediction by many Statehouse insiders that a budget won’t happen until after that election comes true, the victor could inherit a state with an estimated $24 billion backlog of bills. Where does one even start to come back from that?
An Associated Press analysis found that the roughly 40 areas of cuts suggested by Gov. Bruce Rauner in his February budget proposal would total $242 million — or one-half of 1 percent of what the state spends in a year. That solves nothing. And more than half of that total, $125 million, would come from reductions to university budgets — a move that would further cripple our limping public universities.
Support appears to be growing for a complete re-organization of the state university system in Illinois which would include Rauner’s proposal to reduce program overlap at universities by having each specialize in certain areas.
Higher education will play a key role if Illinois is ever to recover. Innovation is born at universities. Employers want a pool of talented, ambitious graduates to help realize their goals. Illinois cannot offer that when tens of thousands of students flee to other states because they don’t have faith in the education system that lawmakers have abandoned.
Legislators return to Springfield this week after two weeks of “spring break,” although what they needed a break from is mystifying. Their only focus should be the budget.
The longer it takes to hammer out a budget, the larger the implement will be needed to curtail spending. At the rate Illinois is going, we’ll need to borrow Death’s scythe to get the state into the black.
The report noted that thanks to the 22-month long budget impasse, appropriations per full-time student dropped by 80 percent in Illinois. Enrollment in public institutions dropped by 46,000 students. Illinois was so horrible it weighed down the rest of the country: If Illinois is included, overall public support for higher education fell by 1.8 percent. Remove Illinois, and overall support increased by 3.2 percent.
That’s mortifying.
The blows kept coming Thursday, as S&P Global Ratings downgraded the bond status of six public universities and the Chicago community college system. Five of the state’s universities now are in junk bond territory, which means if they want to borrow, they’ll pay more in interest. Ominously, earlier in the week Moody’s Investors Service placed seven of the state’s universities on review for potential downgrades. The bad news is far from over.
And yet, no visible action on a budget.
The main priority appears to have shifted to next year’s gubernatorial race, with pleas to compromise on a spending plan shoved to the side. They are fighting to take over a state that will be in ruins by the time the next governor is elected: If the now-frequent prediction by many Statehouse insiders that a budget won’t happen until after that election comes true, the victor could inherit a state with an estimated $24 billion backlog of bills. Where does one even start to come back from that?
An Associated Press analysis found that the roughly 40 areas of cuts suggested by Gov. Bruce Rauner in his February budget proposal would total $242 million — or one-half of 1 percent of what the state spends in a year. That solves nothing. And more than half of that total, $125 million, would come from reductions to university budgets — a move that would further cripple our limping public universities.
Support appears to be growing for a complete re-organization of the state university system in Illinois which would include Rauner’s proposal to reduce program overlap at universities by having each specialize in certain areas.
Higher education will play a key role if Illinois is ever to recover. Innovation is born at universities. Employers want a pool of talented, ambitious graduates to help realize their goals. Illinois cannot offer that when tens of thousands of students flee to other states because they don’t have faith in the education system that lawmakers have abandoned.
Legislators return to Springfield this week after two weeks of “spring break,” although what they needed a break from is mystifying. Their only focus should be the budget.
The longer it takes to hammer out a budget, the larger the implement will be needed to curtail spending. At the rate Illinois is going, we’ll need to borrow Death’s scythe to get the state into the black.
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sealhall74
- Posts: 5985
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
- Location: Wherever, Windblows
I wonder if President Trump is ready to entertain the notion of a federal bailout for a blue state. I wonder if Governor Rauner has the balls to ask for a bailout.
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
― Socrates
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
― Socrates
Embrace the pace of the race.
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leatherface
- Posts: 423
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:42 pm
If Illinois goes to some new University system, where there is less overlap, etc- Western will end up- as the farmers used to say I grew up with- sucking hind teet. Location, low populated area, little industry, little past growth in Macomb and immediate area, economically weak, weak tax base, regionally isoltaed from any real populated area. UIS within 2 hours, with all Springfield offers a university. Who do think would win that battle for attention?
Western should find it's place as the career and technical university- logistics, industrial maintenance, engineering manufacturing with a limited course of careers of liberal arts and a few others for general access and needs to region.
Western should find it's place as the career and technical university- logistics, industrial maintenance, engineering manufacturing with a limited course of careers of liberal arts and a few others for general access and needs to region.
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Tere North
- Posts: 1152
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:59 pm
What about Law Enforcement. We have the largest LEJA program in the state and are home to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute. When you think about what WIU is best at, a good place to start in are the 12 signature programs.
Here's that list for those who are interested: http://www.wiu.edu/academics/signature.phpTere North wrote: Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:12 pm What about Law Enforcement. We have the largest LEJA program in the state and are home to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute. When you think about what WIU is best at, a good place to start in are the 12 signature programs.
I definitely think we'd want to keep Ag, LEJA, Biology & Forensic Chemistry (both tie in closely with the previous two), our Broadcasting department (and specifically Sports Broadcasting) has been winning a ton of awards (both state-wide and national) lately, and Teacher Education is what we were founded on. The others are important, but I don't know that we specifically do them better than anyone else or have anything that really sets us apart from some other schools in those areas (although I'd have no problem keeping them all if it fits with the new "arrangement").
Scott Lawson - Board AdminWestern Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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sealhall74
- Posts: 5985
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
- Location: Wherever, Windblows
I have a friend who is the Sheriff in a neighboring county of McDonough. He hates hiring WIU LEJA grads to work for him. He knows they are good but he also knows he cant keep them for any substantive time. So, we must we doing something right in that program.ST_Lawson wrote: Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:54 pmHere's that list for those who are interested: http://www.wiu.edu/academics/signature.phpTere North wrote: Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:12 pm What about Law Enforcement. We have the largest LEJA program in the state and are home to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute. When you think about what WIU is best at, a good place to start in are the 12 signature programs.
I definitely think we'd want to keep Ag, LEJA, Biology & Forensic Chemistry (both tie in closely with the previous two), our Broadcasting department (and specifically Sports Broadcasting) has been winning a ton of awards (both state-wide and national) lately, and Teacher Education is what we were founded on. The others are important, but I don't know that we specifically do them better than anyone else or have anything that really sets us apart from some other schools in those areas (although I'd have no problem keeping them all if it fits with the new "arrangement").
Embrace the pace of the race.
Matt Bierman: S&P downgrade an example of need for state budget.
By Jared DuBach, McDonough County Voice Editor
After 22 months without a true budget and the shaky prospect for a budget being passed by the General Assembly by June, the financial entity S&P Global Ratings has dropped Western Illinois University’s rating to BB-.
The reduction drops three places from the prior BBB- rating. Public universities also impacted in the recent decision include Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Northeastern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Governor’s State, Eastern Illinois University, and Illinois State University.
“The recent rating action by S&P continues to underscore why we need the Illinois state government to pass a budget and end the 22-month impasse,” stated Matt Bierman, budget director for Western. “At Western Illinois University, we are good stewards of our resources and we will continue to offer a quality education. We are actively recruiting students, accepting applications, and planning ahead for future semesters.“
At the time of the ranking announcement, Western and other public institutions were placed on CreditWatch.
Those entities placed on watch are typically held to greater scrutiny in the event they go to borrow money.
“The downgrade and CreditWatch negative status reflect our belief that the state may fail to pass a fiscal year 2017 budget by the end of May, which would likely result in no additional operating appropriations distributed to the university for the remainder of fiscal 2017,” S&P Global Rating Credit Analyst Jamie Seman was quoted in a statement released by S&P.
By Jared DuBach, McDonough County Voice Editor
After 22 months without a true budget and the shaky prospect for a budget being passed by the General Assembly by June, the financial entity S&P Global Ratings has dropped Western Illinois University’s rating to BB-.
The reduction drops three places from the prior BBB- rating. Public universities also impacted in the recent decision include Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Northeastern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Governor’s State, Eastern Illinois University, and Illinois State University.
“The recent rating action by S&P continues to underscore why we need the Illinois state government to pass a budget and end the 22-month impasse,” stated Matt Bierman, budget director for Western. “At Western Illinois University, we are good stewards of our resources and we will continue to offer a quality education. We are actively recruiting students, accepting applications, and planning ahead for future semesters.“
At the time of the ranking announcement, Western and other public institutions were placed on CreditWatch.
Those entities placed on watch are typically held to greater scrutiny in the event they go to borrow money.
“The downgrade and CreditWatch negative status reflect our belief that the state may fail to pass a fiscal year 2017 budget by the end of May, which would likely result in no additional operating appropriations distributed to the university for the remainder of fiscal 2017,” S&P Global Rating Credit Analyst Jamie Seman was quoted in a statement released by S&P.