University News
House, Senate Appropriations Testimony
April 8, 2015
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL -- Last month, Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas presented Fiscal Year 2016 budget testimony before the Illinois House and Senate Appropriations Committees to urge legislators to provide support and resources for higher education, and to discuss the impact of sustained reductions. Thomas and other University leaders appeared before the Senate and House March 12.
"We recognize that Illinois continues to have difficult financial decisions to consider during this legislative session. We stand ready to be partners in the economic recovery of this state," Thomas said at both hearings. "Higher education serves as an economic engine for the state of Illinois. Universities have the intellectual capital to educate the next generation of citizens, but we must protect the ability for us to deliver that education to all of our citizens."
Thomas shared Western's demographics, its achievements and its recent accomplishments, including Western's longstanding rankings in U.S.News and World Report, the Princeton Review, Military Times EDGE Magazine and GI Jobs Magazine. Thomas also highlighted the University's Cost Guarantee program.
"We recognize that even with these innovative programs, many of our students still need additional financial support," he added. "We continue to develop financial aid packages that target not only those students who have strong academic ability, but also those from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue bachelor's degrees."
Thomas also pointed out that over the past 13 years, Wesern has had a decrease of $12.4 million in direct support from the state, while experiencing an increase in unfunded state mandates along with enrollment decreases due to fewer numbers of high school graduates, as well as scores of high school graduates going to out of state colleges.
"Since 2009, we have reduced the number of employees by 7.1 percent, we have reduced maintenance and service expenditures, and we recently we announced that we will eliminate 24 programs that no longer have enough demand," he told legislators. "We recognized we must be good stewards of our resources, and we must find ways to provide the necessary programs to meet the needs of our citizens."
The president also stressed that the University is "an economic engine for the west central Illinois region." In a recent analysis, it was determined that the overall economic impact WIU has on the local 16-county area was over $377 million annually.
"We recognize our important role in the future of this state, and we will continue to be innovators in the educational process to produce graduates who will contribute to the state of Illinois, yet we must also recognize the financial struggles that we face each year," he added.
According to Thomas, cuts that have been proposed as part of Gov. Rauner's budget package would have serious consequences for Western and its students. The proposed 31.5 percent reduction translates to $16.5 million less in state support for WIU and returns the University to appropriation levels not seen since 1985.
"We would be required to increase our tuition by 65 percent, and an increase of this magnitude will force even more students out of this state," Thomas said. "We do understand that a shared sacrifice is necessary to solve the financial burdens. However, we implore you to recognize the consequences of such drastic cuts."
Thomas' full House and Senate testimony can be found at wiu.edu/news/lecture_archive/fy16testimony.php.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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