IBHE is working with public universities, community colleges, private colleges and universities, the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and others to reinvigorated the Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in an attempt to coordinate activities and materials to improve awareness about the great colleges and universities that we have to offer. “We need a coordinated outreach campaign that addresses the outstanding value of higher education in Illinois,” said Nyle Robinson, interim executive director, IBHE. “Goals include data collection, outreach to partners such as high school academic advisors and business leaders, and promotion to Illinois’ high schoolers.” Jennifer Creasey, senior director of state relations at the University of Illinois, will spearhead the group as it defines messaging. The first meeting was July 1 and the group plans to meet as a whole and in committees over the next several months.
Legislative News
Legislative News
Other bills of note:
HB 26--The Uniform Admission bill passed the House and Senate, and has been sent to the governor for consideration. It would require that Illinois high school graduates in the top 10 percent of their class-who meet other admission standards--be automatically admitted into NIE, WIU, EIU and SIU.
HB 35—Gov. JB Pritzker has signed the Grow Your Own bill, which would shift administration of the program to GYO Illinois rather than keep it at IBHE and adds $1 million to the funding.
HB 2152--The Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act was revised to provide benchmarks for services rather than mandates. Further, the entire act is subject to appropriation. IBHE is also required to house a technical assistance center. It was signed into law by the governor.
HB 2691—The Retain Illinois Students and Equity (RISE) Act is expected to expand the number of Illinois students who qualify for Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding and therefore pursue higher education in the state. The new law will require ISAC to create a new financial aid application that doesn’t include a question on selective service or immigration status. It also lifts the 75 hour limit on MAP grants to students who are not yet juniors in college.
HB 2719—The governor signed a bill into law to require that all high school graduates in Illinois must apply for the FAFSA as a prerequisite to obtaining their diploma. Waivers will be available for those students and/or parents or guardians who do not want to apply. In the photo are IBHE representatives, along with those from the Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, plus two of the legislative sponsors and a college student at the signing ceremony.
HB 2720--This IBHE proposal would allow 30 additional days for collecting data from institutions for the annual Report on Public University Revenues and Expenditures. It won lawmaker approval and the governor’s signature.
SB 1165--This measure, now signed into law, continues the work of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center Task Force that began last year. A report with recommendations is due by the end of the year. The task force has continued meeting on a regular basis.
SB 1788--An IBHE initiative, this new law reduces the number of Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois board members from 21 to 11. The governor signed this measure in August.
SB 2150--We expect further conversations on the Religious Exemption bill, which passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
SJR 41--This bill asks the Illinois Community College Board, with input from IBHE and others, to establish an advisory council to study the best pathways to bring students into credit-bearing classes. The council’s first meeting will be Sept. 9 at Harold Washington College in Chicago.
Bernoteit attended the opening day of a national institute hosted by Governors State University (GSU) June 18, highlighting GSU’s work to improve degree completion among underserved and non-traditional student populations through a comprehensive partnership with 17 Illinois community colleges and an award-winning dual degree program. Approximately 70 representatives from two- and four-year institutions of higher education from around the U.S. attended to learn about the dual degree program model which has resulted in 85 percent of students successfully completing degrees with little or no debt, 53 percent of whom are from traditionally under-represented groups. Participants received in-depth information about the design of the dual degree program model, a guidebook for implementation, and time to work in cross-institutional teams from their states to design their own strategies to improve equitable access to higher education and degree completion. In the photo, GSU President Elaine Maimon and Bernoteit take a lighthearted moment with other attendees.
To learn more about the program, as well as the accomplishments and goals of the fellows,
go 
first Illinois Public Universities Higher Education Reception in Springfield in April was a success. It gave the presidents and chancellors, higher education leaders, lawmakers and legislative staff a chance to meet and compare notes on what's happening at the Capitol and on the campuses. In the photo at left, university presidents and chancellors welcome the crowd.
At right are IBHE Interim Executive Director Nyle Robinson
, Legislative Liaison Jaimee Ray, and Public Information Officer Melissa Hahn.
