Hopes for Illinois higher education reforms

In response to the Jan. 2 editorial “Pritzker’s predicament: Illinois higher ed wants a 16.6 percent splurge of spending,” indeed Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker has a higher-education predicament. He’s inherited a muddle from the outgoing governor, resulting from four years of purposeful, inadequate funding of colleges and universities across our state, combined with that governor’s refusal to lead relevant, bipartisan stakeholders in the necessary redesign of the higher education enterprise.

What do you do when you’re in a predicament? You educate yourself out of it. Let’s hope Pritzker realizes his need to learn what’s actually happening on Illinois campuses from those held most responsible for directly dealing with these recent losses: the faculty. Let’s hope Pritzker realizes Gov. Bruce Rauner violated state statute by never appointing the required faculty member to the Illinois Board of Higher Education during his tenure, and immediately complies with the statute.

It’s little surprise that highereducation policy and legislation in our state have been underinformed these last four years. Without a university faculty member on the board to explicate and educate, to pose critical questions, as well as to provide objective research, it’s been business as usual. The more than 60,000 post-secondary faculty of Illinois remain hopeful those days are over. They stand eagerly poised to work with the legislative and executive branches on the reforms called for in your editorial. Work with us now, Mr. Pritzker. We’ve been waiting for four long years. — Marie Ann Donovan, Chicago Chair, Faculty Advisory Council, Illinois Board of Higher Education