Illinois universities have hiked tuition and relied on state subsidies to pay for exorbitant administrative salaries — and now credit rating agencies are punishing them for that destructive behavior.
Chicago State University spent more than $200,000 lobbying Springfield politicians, while deteriorating finances caused it to lay off hundreds of employees, including professors.
CSU's bloated administration costs more than $3,600 per student, by far the highest of all Illinois' public colleges and universities. By comparison, the average MAP grant at CSU is $2,600 per student.
Chicago State University was among the 10 worst colleges for free speech in 2014. With the latest development in this case, it appears CSU is making a strong bid to hold that distinction in 2015 as well.
Universities are supposed to be safe havens for controversial ideas, but at least 10 Illinois universities have one or more policies that clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, filed a lawsuit against Chicago State University, or CSU, last week, accusing the university of “[engaging] in an ongoing campaign to silence … criticisms of how the university is run” when it tried to shut down an independently operated faculty blog. Since at least last year,...