Higher Education

Illinois State University donors set a record amount for giving in the budget year that ended July 1. ISU took in more than $52 million in private support. It is the sixth straight year of increased donations.

The more than 28-acre site at G.E. Road is ready for students to arrive for classes by the start of the 2026 fall semester.

Heartland Community College and Connect Transit have partnered on a new bus line that will stop along the I-55 corridor from Normal to Pontiac. The line will be free for Heartland students.

Heartland is set to regain funding in most programs from last year, following the state's 1% increase in community college funding, but will lose a healthcare training grant.

The long-dreaded enrollment cliff for colleges and universities is here. “I think there's still a path to success for us, but we'll have to be nimble,” said ISU admissions chief Jeff Mavros.

With a combination of state funding and repayment from student fees, the Illinois State University Board of Trustees on Friday approved $84 million in funding for three new STEM facilities. They include a new teaching building, an annex and a greenhouse.

In the same vein as "No Kings" protests, the Bloomington-Normal rally of the national "May Day Strong" protest called for an end to attacks on laborers. The Illinois Federation of Teachers called special attention to addressing the lack of higher ed funding.

Dining and grounds workers say the financial squeeze of going weeks without pay is making it tough for them to get by. Union members have been on strike since April 8.

Ben Hage will take his new position effective June 1. The Petrick Idea Center will open this fall semester at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) told U of I it could not bring out its then mascot at championship games. The NCAA said Chief Illiniwek was hostile to Indigenous communities.