Kicks off affordability summits with UIC work study students
CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will call for state, federal and higher education leaders to work together to keep college affordable for all students during College Affordability Summits this fall at public universities across the state.
Simon will meet with University of Illinois at Chicago work study students on Thursday morning and advocate for stronger transparency, targeted student aid and a federal tax credit for middle class families. The students are conducting brain research in the UIC chemistry lab.
The average costs for a public university education have outpaced family incomes and available aid, increasing 128 percent since 1980 when adjusted for inflation. "We've set a goal to have 60 percent of working-age adults hold college credentials by 2025. To reach our completion goal, we must make college more affordable. Higher education costs should be a higher priority for our leaders," Simon said.
The Governor's point person on education reform, Simon is backing legislation for College Choice Reports, a standardized report for all degree-granting institutions that would help students analyze cost, debt and graduation rates across institutions. Simon also serves on the state's MAP Eligibility Task Force that was created to provide the Illinois General Assembly with recommended MAP rule changes to better target the need-based assistance to students. Their report is due January 1, 2013.
The College Affordability Summits will begin Thursday, Oct. 11 at University of Illinois at Chicago and continue next week at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale on Monday, Oct. 15, Illinois State University and Western Illinois University on Thursday, Oct. 18 and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville on Friday, Oct. 19. Additional dates and locations will follow.
EVENT: University of Illinois at Chicago, Affordability Summit
TIME: 10:15 a.m.
DATE: Thursday, October 11
PLACE: Science and Engineering South Building, Room 4444, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago
NOTE: Media should assemble in the chemistry lab for the press conference with Simon and the work study students. Immediately following the press conference, Simon will work alongside the students in the lab. The job shadow is for photo and video spray only.
