A stop-gap spending bill to give Illinois colleges and universities some of what the state owes them made no difference in the proposed tuition hike at Illinois State University. Speaking on GLT's Sound Ideas, President Larry Dietz said the three percent hike in tuition and fees is in line with inflation costs.
"The increase we've been asking for, in my estimation, would be pretty much the same without that. It's a reasonable expectation as far as I'm concerned. And I think that our students and our parents expect to pay a little bit more each year for the quality that they're getting," Dietz said.
The governing board of trustees on Friday will consider raising room and board only slightly, meaning the total cost of attending ISU would rise by about two percent, or less than $500.
Late last month, Governor Rauner signed the stop-gap appropriation, which provided ISU with nearly $21 million, about 31 percent of what the university received for fiscal 2015, the last year of so-called full funding. The deal also sent about $7.5 million to ISU for Monetary Award Program funding for low-income students. That's about half of the amount ISU has set aside for MAP.
Dietz also repeated his hope that the legislative passage of the spending measure gives him reason for optimism that a full budget will eventually come out of Springfield.
Dietz said he was pleased to receive an independent report on diversity and inclusion at Illinois State. The Illinois State University Campus Climate Assessment, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, surveyed all campus constituencies and issued some recommendations. Among them, to elevate and protect the status of women, create and invest in affirming spaces for students of color, require equity education for faculty, staff, and students, and intentionally recruit select and retain diverse talent.
Dietz said he'll call for immediate action on the assessment. He said, "You can never do too much work in this area."
Dietz also discussed a recent memorandum of understanding signed with Chandigarh University in India. He said agreements like this help the campus develop relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.
