While University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch is convinced the school is in very good shape, U of I President Robert Easter said he is worried about the future of higher education in the state.
Speaking to a group of about 40 at the Citizens Club of Springfield's policy breakfast Friday at Hoogland Center for the Arts, Easter said he was legitimately concerned about the economic future of Illinois.
Despite the somewhat gloomy view of the economy and dealing with lesser resources from the state, Easter said overall he is optimistic about the future. The school is one of largest recipients of federal research grants, and the research park at the Urbana-Champaign campus holds 75 companies that employ about 1,500 people.
That optimism carried over to Koch, who also spoke at the breakfast.
Koch said following UIS' largest-ever enrollment during the fall semester, the preliminary enrollment for spring 2015 is the highest it's ever been. UIS has also expanded programs in recent years and recently renewed its nursing program through a partnership with the Chicago campus.
The article was published on January 24, 2015 in The State Journal-Register.
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