Local College Updates

 

 

This post mainly has updates related to the University of Illinois governance this month. The UI Trustees were in the news regarding the budget. WCIA had an overview:

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees announced Thursday that it approved a plan to allocate more money to help students and faculty at all three U of I campuses in the state.

The board approved a request for more than $683 million in operating funds for the fiscal year 2023, which is 10 percent higher than the current year’s budget. The request is the first step in the annual budget process and will be submitted for consideration by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the governor and the Illinois General Assembly...

The budget request also includes more than $673 million in capital funds that would pay for new buildings and renovations while also addressing deferred maintenance at the three system universities.

That full blurb here. A detailed look at the budget request from the Trustees meeting is available here. The Daily Illini had a recent overview of funding, salaries, and tuition issues with the University's budget here. Previous University news release and overview on the budget is available here.

The News-Gazette had an extensive and detailed look at the renovations coming to the former Undergraduate Library and the future plans for library space on campus here. Excerpt:

The last time the library checked in with staff and students, designs were still in the conceptual stage: the university was still exploring if all the elements would fit into the Undergrad Library space, Teper said.

Now the question isn’t an if, but how the collections will fit into the space and what the layout will look like aesthetically.

Officials have formulated preliminary plans on where the library’s student services and study locations will be distributed across campus by fall of 2022.

Full article here. The latest UIUC library news blurb is here with links to a page for updates here.

WCIA also had coverage on a local "student patrol" on campus hiring:

The Division of Public Safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is seeking to fill multiple positions on its Student Patrol unit.

Officials said the unit is made up of students who are interested in serving the campus community and keeping their peers safe.

According to officials, Student Patrol Officers will engage in several critical community safety services on campus, including SafeWalks, which provides free walking safety escorts to students who need to travel on campus at night.

More information and links at that full blurb here.

More local College and government related updates:

UIUC:

• The Old Feed Mill building was demolished. From WCIA.
• There was a protest last month for higher wages for University service workers covered by Illinois Newsroom.
• UIUC is not currently requiring proof of a booster shot for vaccine requirements according to WCIA.
• The Beckman Institute is looking for volunteers for a brain study with MRI scans. More at Smile Politely here.

Parkland:

• The Illinois Community College Board highlighted the need for its tech worker apprenticeship program. From WCCU.