Illinois is at a crossroads when it comes to the future of our state’s academic and economic success, and we must be more thoughtful and strategic as legislators consider a new funding model for our state’s public universities.
Educational attainment is one of the most important predictors of economic success, and we recognize our role in facilitating that transformative experience for Illinois students. We work hard to ensure our student body reflects the diversity of Illinois, and we take seriously our responsibility to deliver real, lasting value.
We recently expanded Illinois Commitment, a promise of no tuition and fees for four years at our Urbana campus for in-state students from low- and middle-income families. The program launched in 2018, largely in response to prospective students from every corner of Illinois who told us they would be more likely to apply if we made a college education more affordable. So, we invested our own institutional funds to do just that, and 10,000 Illinois students have been able to attend one of the best public universities in the nation because we delivered on that commitment.
This initiative and others mean that more than half of our Illinois resident students pay less than $3,000 per semester, and more than half of our undergraduates will leave with zero debt. It is compelling evidence that we have been effective in our efforts to prioritize access, affordability and student success. Additionally, the University of Illinois System has launched Access 2030, which will increase access for rural and underrepresented students and align with state workforce needs.
Today, the University of Illinois System educates 53% of all students enrolled in Illinois public universities. Four out of every five students enrolled at our three campuses are Illinois residents. The University of Illinois System has a $24 billion annual economic impact and supports more than 225,000 jobs statewide.
We have serious concerns that the funding model currently being proposed now in the state legislature — Public Universities Act SB 13/HB 1581 — mirrors the current K-12 funding formula, which simply doesn’t correlate with the realities of higher education and may undermine efforts to increase access and attainment for all students.
The proposals divert funds away from student success initiatives at universities already performing well. They focus primarily on undergraduate metrics, which ignores the needs of graduate and professional students. And they lack sufficient testing to prevent unexpected outcomes.
Under the proposals, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign would receive a 2% funding increase — less than the Consumer Price Index — while other universities would get a 20% increase. That is not a strategically sound approach to promoting proven strategies for student success.
We have spoken with legislators about a tiered funding model as an alternative. This approach would provide additional support for underrepresented and high-need student populations, while also recognizing the unique contributions of the nation’s leading research universities, like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago. Additionally, it would ensure that graduate and professional programs receive dedicated funding to reflect their significant economic contributions.
Several states offer better models. For example, Ohio and Tennessee allocate resources based on models that prioritize student success metrics like course progress, degree completion and job placement. Further, the Ohio model recognizes the unique role of research universities, and the Tennessee model acknowledges the distinct role of community colleges, four-year institutions and research universities.
These states recognize that higher education is not one-size-fits-all, and they fund accordingly.
The model proposed in Illinois lacks retention, graduation, and performance metrics, weakening its connection to student success. To truly support low-income and underrepresented students, funding should incentivize outcomes and hold institutions accountable for results.
Higher education needs its own model, not a K-12 replica. We are committed to working with legislators, the Governor, higher education leaders, and communities across the state on an equitable funding formula that reflects each university’s contribution to Illinois’ academic and economic progress.
Investing in higher education is investing in people. We must be more thoughtful about how we do that. Generations of Illinois students are depending on us to get it right.
Robert J. Jones is chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
