Higher Education

State Farm Insurance is giving Illinois State University $3 million to grow the cybersecurity program. The money will create an endowed professorship in the School of Information Technology.
     
School of Information Technology Assistant Director Glen Sagers said ISU is poised to take advantage of one of the hottest areas in workforce growth.

Two days after withdrawing his nomination to the state Board of Higher Education, Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed John Bambenek to a similar panel.
 
The governor has named the University of Illinois cybersecurity lecturer to the Illinois Community College Board.

Barack Obama was back in Chicago for his first big appearance since leaving the White House three months ago.

Obama sat on a University of Chicago stage with six young people to talk about issues he’d like to address now that he’s no longer president.

Increasing public doubt of scientific findings is prompting a March for Science in Bloomington-Normal.

ISU biologist Scott Sakaluk says he and other researchers feel alarm as laypeople treat science as opinion-based and political.

Illinois State University's bond rating remains unchanged, though the Standard and Poor's agency has placed ISU on a credit watch.

That's in recognition of the state budget crisis and a lack of more than $80 million the university would regularly have received in the last two years if not for the deadlock between the governor and lawmakers.

Illinois State University has introduced its new women's basketball coach, Kristen Gillespie.

She comes from a family of coaches. Gillespie said during her opening news conference that seeing her father stand up at player weddings made her notice how he influenced lives and why he coached.

Illinois State University is recommending no tuition increase next year. Room and board and fees would also stay static.

ISU has missed out on more than $80 million in state funding over the last two budget years and has no certainty of anything for the future or of recouping past year allocations. President Larry Dietz says even after all that, the University is strong and stable.

Illinois State University has narrowed its search for Vice President of Finance and Planning to three people.

Daniel Stephens is currently at the University of North Texas in Dallas.

Illinois Wesleyan University students are now able to ride Connect Transit buses free.

The Student Senate and Connect Transit have a pilot program offering universal access, much as ISU students have.

The Governor and Lieutenant Governor are using Heartland Community College in Normal to kick off a statewide tour focusing on best practices in government efficiency.

Heartland has a dual credit program with area high schools to allow them to take courses for college credit while still in K-12 schools.

Illinois State University is fielding a lot of questions from international students concerned about the Trump Administration executive orders on immigration and visa enforcement.

About ten ISU students come from the seven countries specifically banned in the Executive order. Others from those nations have also been accepted for admission to ISU in the fall.

A Democratic Illinois legislator is calling for free tuition at state universities.

With Illinois’ pile of unpaid bills topping 10-billion dollars, Representative Will Guzzardi, from Chicago, acknowledges it’s not a short-term goal.

“But, I want that to be the guidestar, I want that to be the objective that we work toward. And this year, I want us to pass something that’s going to make college a little more affordable and reduce the burden of debt on working families,” Guzzardi said.

He declined to give any specifics on what that “something” might be.

Governor Bruce Rauner has filled three vacancies on the Illinois State University Board of Trustees. All three new trustees are ISU graduates.

Julie Jones, Sharon Rossmark, and John Rauschenberger will replace the three board members whose terms expired last week.

Bloomington-Normal has made a list of the top college towns in the nation.

The ranking from the American Institute for Economic Research looked at towns under a quarter million in population.

Illinois State University's Board of Trustees recognized three outgoing long-term members during their quarterly meeting Friday.

Trustees Jay D. Bergman, Anne Davis, and Betty Kinser will leave the Board when their terms expire on January 16.

Three members of the Illinois State University Board of Trustees are ending long service on that panel.

ISU President Larry Dietz said businessman J.D. Bergman and former educators Betty Kinser and Anne Davis are stepping down.

Heartland Community College has named Amy Humphreys its Dean of Continuing Education.

She moves from her previous position as Director of Marketing and Public Information at  the school in Normal.

University of Illinois employees will receive a 2 percent raise in March after the school had to put pay increases on hold for the last two years.

A school spokesman says the raises will take effect in February and the money will show up in March paychecks. University President Tim Killeen put general raises on hold for a second-straight year last summer due to the state budget impasse. But Killeen said he was optimistic the school could provide a mid-year raise by making cuts elsewhere.

Illinois State University won't become a "Sanctuary Campus," for undocumented students.

During Sound Ideas, President Larry Dietz said he doesn't see any public university in Illinois granting themselves that status.

ISU Faculty and staff will see more in their paychecks next year.

University President Larry Dietz has announced raises up to two percent will begin in January.

Heartland Community College has added a self portrait of slain art teacher Joe McCauley to the gallery that bears his name.

The college on Raab Road in Normal says the image of the beloved professor was among the hundreds of works McCauley left behind in his office after his killing in 2009.