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| Governor Says U of I Will Get Its Money |
Ahead of initiating furlough days for University of Illinois faculty and staff, Gov. Pat Quinn says the university will receive some cash, hopefully towards the end of the month.
U. of I. officials said Tuesday that the state owes the university roughly $436 million. Because of the debt, the university is ordering over 11,000 faculty and staff to take furlough days and is implementing other cost-saving measures. The cost saving-measures would affect all three campuses.
In a letter to U. of I. staff, university President Stan Ikenberry said the university must trim $82 million from its operating budget in response to a "financial crisis" resulting from a that backlog of unpaid state appropriations.
"At some point we will be unable to meet payroll and complete the academic year unless there are significant payments from the state as promised," Ikenberry said in a written statement. "My hope is that the governor, leaders and members of the General Assembly will come together immediately to address the state's escalating financial crisis."
But Quinn says some money should start making its way to the university by the middle of the month. That cash will come from pension obligation bonds which are expected to be sold in the coming days. That borrowed money will end up in state coffers and will be used to pay state vendors as well as some of what's owed to the university. Quinn says in these tough fiscal times, everyone receiving state dollars must make sacrifices.
"It's important, I think, for all the units of government, including the universities...you know we have 12 [furlough days] in state government, so I think...it's necessary to make economies," Quinn said.
Ikenberry says faculty and academic staff will take four furlough days without pay between Feb. 16 and May 16. The president, chancellor and other senior administrators will take 10 furlough days between February and June. Civil service employees are not included in the mandatory furloughs but are covered under layoff provisions which the university says will be implemented in accordance with union contracts.
The university has also implemented a hiring freeze. The university says it has received only 7 percent of its state appropriations since the start of Fiscal Year 2010.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 01 05 10 by Newsroom |
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