By Kyle Southern, Ph.D.
Last week, the Chicago Sun-Times published commentary by EdTrust’s Denise Forte and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, “Illinois steps up where feds fall down in making college affordable.” They frame their conversation by correctly noting that the dream of going to college is slipping further out of reach for many, exasperated by the federal government’s actions to limit federal aid to students, cancel grants to institutions, and freeze much-needed funding to programs designed to help marginalized communities.
I agree with Forte and Lt. Governor Stratton when they write, “if the federal government refuses to invest in our students, the responsibility — and the opportunity — falls to the states.” As a state, Illinois understands the need to expand access to higher education opportunities for anyone who decides that is the route they want to pursue. PCC applauds the state for what it has done so far, but we have to go further.
An immediate action the state can take to invest in higher education is releasing the 2% of discretionary funding already allocated to our public institutions. During last week’s meeting of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, I joined other advocates to publicly urge the governor’s office to give to our institutions what is owed them. As I said then, the 2% not only needs to be released immediately, but the funds should be allocated based on the needs of institutions and their students. There are better ways to target universities that most need funding than the status quo, across-the-board approach. IBHE could use the latest estimations from the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula to distribute funding to the universities with the greatest adequacy gaps between the amount of funding they need and the resources they have.
The state of Illinois has a road map toward accessible, affordable postsecondary opportunities. In addition to supporting the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula, the state can:
- Add $71 million increase into MAP for FY2027 to ensure affordability, stability, and access for every student in Illinois, regardless of income or background.
- Support wrap-around services like housing, food, childcare, and transportation that enable students not only to enroll, but to persist to graduation.
- Measure and report impact, aligning program metrics with higher-education outcomes including enrollment, retention, graduation, debt load, and post-graduate earnings.
When federal policy weakens and state funding falls behind inflation and rising costs, the burden falls on students and on the institutions committed to serving them. Illinois illustrates both the risk and the remedy: the risk of retreating access and the remedy of intentional investment and targeted support.
Let’s move from awareness to action. Let’s ensure that our programs and policies reflect the urgency of this moment—and align with the promise of education as a springboard for equity, prosperity, and protecting democracy.