Federation of Independent
Illinois Colleges & Universities
1123 South Second Street
Springfield, Illinois 62704
p: 217.789.1400
f: 217.789.6259
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| News Release: Private College Student Lobbyists Come to Springfield |
| Released: 4/21/2009 |
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS LOBBY FOR STUDENT AID FUNDING
AND TO RESTORE THE HEALTH SERVICE EDUCATION GRANTS
2009 Private College Student Lobby Day is Wednesday, April 22nd
Contact:
David Tretter, 217-789-1400
Paul Frank, 312-343-9840
www.federationedu.org
Springfield – On April 22nd more than one hundred students from fifteen different private colleges and universities will visit the State Capitol to meet with their legislators. The students will be in town as participants in the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities’ 5th annual Private College Student Lobby Day.
“These students are here because they have their own stories to share. They are the ones who are challenged finding low-cost loans, they see the decline in state support for higher education and need-based aid. They are here because they need to tell their stories to their Representatives and Senators,” said David Tretter, President of the Federation.
Since 2001 the state’s need-based aid program, the Monetary Award Program (MAP) has capped its largest grants at $4,968 even for students with the most need. Thanks in part to the student lobbyists who participated in the 2008 event, the General Assembly increased that award cap by $500 last year and each of the next two years as well. According to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, the MAP program is being inundated with a 22% increase in applications this year. Funding is expected to run out for MAP awards a full two months earlier than last year.
This year graduate students will also participate and urge legislators to restore funding to the Health Services Education Grants (HSEGA) which was eliminated last year by Rod Blagojevich. HSEGA annually allows graduate health programs to enroll more students and produce health care workers that our state needs in critical professions.
Students are scheduled to participate from the following institutions this year: DePaul University, Dominican University, Knox College, Loyola University Chicago, McKendree University, Monmouth College, Northwestern University, Robert Morris College, Roosevelt University, The University of Chicago and others as well.
The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities is a statewide organization of 58 private not-for-profit colleges and universities that advocates for public policies that advance and improve higher education in Illinois. Private colleges annually enroll more than 210,000 students, more students than are enrolled by the state’s public universities. The private colleges also confer 42 percent of all bachelor degrees and 64 percent of all masters degrees awarded in the State of Illinois.
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