Thursday, September 3, 2009 8:26 PM CDT
Lawmaker, LLC officials discuss state funding
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — A state lawmaker said a major higher education grant program might be restored if the economy shows signs of recovery in the spring.
Visiting Lake Land College Wednesday, State Rep. Mike Boland, D-Moline and chairman of the House committee on higher education, indicated the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant could be restored to help universities and community colleges close part of the gap on student assistance.
“I think that the MAP money will be restored next spring. But it depends on the economy improving,” said Boland during a luncheon meeting with Lake Land administrators and board members in the newly-opened West Education Building addition.
Lake Land wants that grant and other state education funding restored. Lake Land College President Scott Lensink offered data sheets to Boland showing the college has lost an average of $1.8 million in funding annually since 2002.
But as Lake Land funding has been shrinking, Lensink told Boland, the college has been experiencing a record growth in enrollment. The total number of students enrolled, known as the headcount, has consistently been well above the state community college average. Last year, the difference was 2,638 students between Lake Land and state average headcounts.
The college has completed multi-million-dollar energy efficiency projects to save money. Boland praised the efforts because it is not only saving the taxpayers money in the long run, but, as he learned Tuesday, providing new classes for energy-related subjects.
With the enrollment growth, the college wants to expand or improve buildings on its main campus and at the Effingham Kluthe Center, one of three regional campuses for the community college. The problem is more than $20 million in state funding is needed to complete these capital projects. The expansion of the West Building used $9 million in state funding, three-quarters of the total cost for the work.
“When do you see the capital bill kicking off,” Lensink asked Boland.
The lawmaker said he had a tough meeting with labor officials in his home district recently when they asked the same question more forcefully.
“They’re worried we will miss another construction season. What we need to do is end this 10-year cycle on getting each capital bill done. We need to start planning for the next one,” Boland said.
Boland is also proposing a challenge scholarship program that would offer a year of free tuition to high school graduates for community college classes. Students would qualify by attaining goals through high school like having crime-free records, avoiding substance abuse and maintaining a certain grade point average through high school. The students and their parents would agree to the challenge offer in eighth grade, Boland said.
He said alternative financing could pay for this, ranging from checkoffs on state income tax forms or even a share of specialty license plate funds.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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