University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch said
Thursday she is “optimistic” about submitting a proposal and eventually
securing funds for a university presence in downtown Springfield.
Koch,
in an interview with The State Journal-Register, addressed recent
discussion prompted by a peliminary proposal from the
Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance calling for a downtown university
campus shared by UIS and Southern Illinois University. The campus would
be located between Second and Fourth streets to the west and east and
Washington and Monroe streets to the north and south.
The proposal raised concerns from some area property owners about
being displaced. Several businesses — such as the Sangamo Club, J.P.
Kelly’s Pub and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association — are within
that boundary.
“I’ve seen those renderings, of course, and I had a
meeting with (SSGA executive chairman) Dan Dungan not too long ago and
we talked about those renderings,” Koch said. “So your question is, do
they represent our vision? My answer to that would be, they could.”
Growing
the University of Illinois Springfield in downtown is absolutely a
possibility, Koch said. “I don’t know right now whether that’s where
this will all settle.”
The article appeared in the State Journal-Register on December 20, 2019.
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