Higher Education

Lawmakers have concerns about increasing higher education funding this year, with a tight budget. They are waiting for more information to decide on a change to the funding model.

At Friday's "People Over Profits" rally, several public and higher education teacher unions came together to vocalize the state's historic lack of funding for the sector.

Heartland has four in-person and one virtual town hall planned to help the college shape its long-term strategic plan over the next 10 years.

For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year.

The board that governs higher education in Illinois voted Wednesday to request $2.7 billion in general revenue funding next year, an increase of $121.6 million, or 4.6%, over the amount lawmakers approved for the current fiscal year.

Health care providers and educators worry a $100,000 lifetime limit on borrowing for graduate nursing programs, wrapped in the fine print of the Big, Beautiful Bill, could put a wrench in the workforce pipeline.

During a visit to Bloomington-Normal on Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker said he supports changing how state colleges and universities are funded, but wouldn't commit to releasing discretionary funds held back last fall.

Dr. Linda Haddad has been named the next dean of Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing. Haddad will take the post on July 1, 2026, succeeding Dr. Caroline Mallory who served in the interim position.

Illinois State University is trying to revive a stalled dorm and dining center project. It also wants to put a solar farm on the land, roofs, and maybe parking structures at its College of Engineering campus on GE Road in Bloomington.

The structure of college classes will have to change in an AI world. That's according to Roy Magnuson, the director of the newly created Adaptive Edge Institute at Illinois State University. The institute studies new technologies and how they influence teaching. Right now, that's Generative AI.