Illinois public colleges have less freshmen due to state budget delays

The fall semester has begun on American college campuses, and as the reading assignments have increased, students face new instructors, as well as an uncertain future for reporting sexual assaults, thanks to further politicization, and desensitization by Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, but in the nation’s heartland, Illinois freshmen will see less of each other because the near two year state budget crisis caused their ranks to decrease.

“I don't think there's any question there's a connection," said Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in Washington, D.C. "The state funding situation was in the papers every day for months and months. It goes to public confidence in the institutions,” in a report by the Chicago Tribune.

Western Illinois University saw drops of 21 percent, with incoming freshmen, along with Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois, at about the same rate as last fall.

Faced with a well-publicized uncertainty, many parents were forced to look at what might, or what might not happen for the next four years, and some of them made the decision to go to nearby states, such as Michigan.

That was certainly the case for Bill Riddle of Elmhurst, Illinois who commented, "I did feel like the state was showing such a poor overall commitment to financing their higher education, so it definitely made me feel like we would know what we were getting with a private school going in," he said. "We were confident that with the endowment and the financial situation of a private school, I could depend on it for the four years she would be at school. One less thing to worry about."

The loss of the budget impasse will have a deleterious effect on the social capital of the state, as well as attracting business to the state, far more so than the oft repeated wails by  Republican Bruce Rauner, who, like Cassandra, has proclaimed doom for those that upheld unions, and workmen compensation “advantages.”

Paradoxically, there was a modest increase: “fighting off enrollment declines at the state's public universities, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign posted a modest increase this fall to set a record for its total student enrollment, according to data released Wednesday,” said the Tribune.

“Even more striking was the sharp increase at one of its sister campuses, the University of Illinois at Chicago, which posted the biggest percentage gain in freshman enrollment among the state's 12 public universities this fall.

However, their Springfield campus trended to the decline with “total enrollment there dropped 9 percent,” according to university figures.

“Overall, the University of Illinois system grew its collective enrollment by 2.9 percent, to 83,321, adding more than 2,300 students to last year's record total,”and that is good news with much of that coming from the Near West Side campus, which “had 4,064 new freshmen, about 700 more than last year — a 23 percent increase that accounts for more than half of the overall enrollment jump,” said the Tribune..

Contrasted with the others “that is a marked improvement over 2016, when total enrollment in Chicago went up but freshman numbers dropped more than 5 percent.”

To even return to pre-impasse levels will take years, and “it's turning a fairly large ship," State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's Rob Anderson said. "Students right now are making their enrollment decisions for next fall. Some will feel bolstered and might want to choose an Illinois college where they wouldn't before, and others might want to see how this trend plays out."

Brightening the skies was a report from the oft sought recommendations by U.S. New and World Report magazine that touted Northeastern Illinois University's as the most diverse and affordable school in Illinois.

In a statement from NEIU, they noted that in the “annual publication of “Best Colleges,” U.S. News & World Report announced that Northeastern Illinois University boasts the most diverse student population among Midwest regional universities and graduates its students with the least amount of student debt.”

In an era marked by increasing tuition costs for both private and public schools, “This marks the fourth year in a row that Northeastern has earned the No. 1 spot for students who graduate with the least amount of debt among Midwest regional universities. Only 55 percent of Northeastern’s 2016 graduating class incurred debt, and those students borrowed an average of $16,247.”

“Earning a degree from Northeastern means getting a high-quality, academically rigorous college experience and a post-graduation experience that is free of the overwhelming financial burdens faced by many college graduates,” Northeastern Interim President Richard Helldobler said. “We are pleased that U.S. News & World Report has again recognized Northeastern’s accomplishments in serving our diverse community of students with an affordable, high-quality education.”

The school, which celebrates its 150th anniversary, this weekend, has been on U.S. News & World Report’s list of most diverse universities since 1997, the first year the publication established the category in its “Best Colleges” rankings. The data for the diversity rankings were drawn from each institution’s 2016-17 enrollment numbers. According to U.S. News & World Report, the rankings factored in the proportion of minority students—excluding international students—and the overall mix of groups in each institution’s student body. The groups forming the basis for the calculations were African-American (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, White (non-Hispanic) and multiracial.”

“We take great pride in the diversity of our community,” Helldobler said. “We are committed to welcoming, accepting, respecting and embracing our differences because we value learning from others.”