State higher education budget chair calls the UIS faculty strike "unnecessary"

lindathelibrarian
Apr 15
1 min read

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published April 15, 2026 at 12:42 PM CDT

A high-ranking legislator who chairs a committee that oversees state funding to colleges and universities said the University of Illinois Springfield administration should do more to end the ongoing faculty strike.

Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, appeared at a rally with striking faculty on Wednesday morning. Ford, who also serves as Chairman of the Illinois House Higher Education Appropriations Committee, said he was meeting with Chancellor Janet Gooch to encourage her to meet with the union members and settle the strike.

Read at NPR

Recent Posts

See All

Illinois is failing its regional universities

OP-ED: KIRK DILLARD May 27, 2026 By KIRK DILLARD As someone who has spent their career in both policy and higher education, and as a current trustee for Western Illinois University, I have sadly witne

Springfield must pass Public University Funding Act | Letter Merrill Cole

Special to the McDonough County Voice Updated May 15, 2026, 5:19 p.m. CT Western Illinois University is the most underfunded public university in Illinois. According to Advance Illinois, WIU currently

The Rise of 'Shadow Faculty'

Walter Hudson, May 1, 2026 from The EDULedger Between 2012 and 2024, the number of faculty represented by unions at private colleges and universities increased by 56 percent. For graduate student work