CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Although the University of Illinois has invested more than $1.2 billion in classrooms, residence halls and athletic venues since 2013, the school will put a renewed focus on facilities across its three campuses.
University officials say it’s time for a renewed focus on facilities. They say they hope to use the university’s borrowing power to fund key projects — including the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago
With no state budget for the past decade, the university had to pay for more than half of its building projects through operating funds. The state covered about 7 percent.
The News-Gazette in Champaign reports university trustee Donald Edwards says that lack of state funding, coupled with an estimated $2 billion maintenance backlog, demands a long-term approach to addressing concerns about the school’s facilities.