Dietz: Compromise will help end higher education funding stalemate

Posted on February 6, 2016

*ISU President Larry Dietz sees a ray of hope in Illinois legislature. (WJBC file photo)*

By Adam Studzinski

NORMAL – The Illinois legislature recently passed a bill which would fund higher education and MAP grants, however the governor has said he plans to veto.

The governor and other Republicans said there is no funding source for the bill. Illinois State University President Larry dietz said it’s a good sign that legislators are at least talking about the issue.

“It’s a diservice of the state to the students and the families we serve not to have some stability realted to our budgets,” he said.

Dietz added it’s going to take the art of compromise to end this stalemate.

“We can argue about the particulars of a given bill, but hopefully what will result in some wisdom will be that no one is probably going to get their way on everything that they want,” Dietz said.

ISU is fronting the cost of MAP grants for its students, but other institutions in the area such as Heartland Community College are not.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].

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