Because of many recent issues here in Illinois, the prestige / reputation / stability of our 12 state schools has really taken some hits lately.
For some schools...... major chinks in the armor.
On this subject, here's a great editorial from the Chicago Tribune:
How to reinvent Illinois higher ed (and reduce the brain drain)
They offer some really strong ideas, including:
Illinois has 12 universities run by nine separate boards. Consolidate these governing boards into a unified structure similar to successful higher ed systems in several states. Centralized oversight would ditch duplicate administrators, overhead and curricula — and divert money from administrative costs into classrooms. A unified system also would react more rapidly when a school is in a tailspin. Steal a best practice from other states by replacing duplication with distinction: Push each university to specialize in discrete areas of academic strength, not to copy every other school by offering the same high-level programs. No more shoveling state dollars into duplicative programs that attract few students.
Read the rest:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-college-siu-rauner-20180103-story.html
Something must be done to stop the bleeding. And to save the system. There's no help coming from Washington on this one.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt