Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities

A note of thanks to our partners

Released: 10/16/2009

Thank you to every person who emailed, wrote, called, visited with and worked hard on our collective campaign to restore MAP funding for the second semester.

Yesterday's rally in Springfield with more than 2,500 students from 40+ colleges and universities around the state was a historic moment in Illinois higher education history. Never before have so many students become so actively engaged in the political process and taken steps to secure their own future.

I would like to thank every student, family and member of the Federation for your hard work in this endeavor. Hopefully, when it comes time to make spending decisions for the state's Fiscal Year 2011 budget, they will remember to put MAP on top not at the bottom. If that happens, it will be because of your efforts.

If you emailed or wrote your legislator, please take a minute to send them a follow up note to say "thank you." The talking points on our Cap Wiz page have been updated accordingly.

If you have pictures from yesterday's student rally, please email them to us at paul@federationedu.org we will post some of them here on our website.

Thanks and congratulations to each student organization. Lastly, I need to thank and acknowledge our partners in this effort. Along with each of the public universities, community colleges and the coordinating agencies (IBHE, ISAC and ICCB) we put aside our differences and worked together as a true coalition to make MAP funding our singular priority. Thanks also to the Illinois Education Association for hosting yesterday's rally on their property.

Thank you and congratulations on a hard fought victory.

Regards,
David Tretter
President
The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges & Universities