A top University of Illinois administrator says everything is on the table after Republican Governor Bruce Rauner proposed a thirty percent cut to state higher education funding.
Christophe Pierre, the U of I's Vice President for Academic Affairs, calls today's (Wednesday's) budget proposal disappointing. He says the university has other sources of revenue, but many come with restrictions on how the money is spent.
"for example, research that we need to spend according to the stipulations of the sponsor and for scholarships, for faculty chairs according to the gift agreements. So, the proposed cut is very significant."
Including tuition, grants, gifts and other revenues, the proposed state funding would cut about 6 percent from the U of I's overall budget.
Pierre says it's too early to know what size cuts might make it through the Democratic controlled legislature. In the meantime, university officials plan to lobby the governor and lawmakers to preserve university funding.
