A new report gives a different look at Illinois’ high ranking on the Measuring Up 2000 report card by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

The report, compiled by the University Professional of Illinois, a university faculty union, compares budget priorities of public universities in Illinois with those of other states.

The report states that Illinois ranks 47 of 50 states in spending per public university/college student, allocating $8,383 per student.

For comparison, the highest ranked state, Iowa, spends more than twice as much, with an average of $16,893 per public university/college student. The lowest ranked state, Nevada, spends $6,896 per student.

“I’m concerned about the low ranking of Illinois. It really shows the state is not supporting its public universities as well as it should,” said David Radavich, president of Eastern’s chapter of UPI.

Currently at Eastern, the administration is preparing for a $2.9 million budget shortfall despite a 5.9 percent, $4.5 million, recommended increase from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Up to nine annually contracted faculty members might be terminated and 10 university departments may cut sections and courses to accommodate the budget shortfall, according to a departmental compilation of tentative budget cuts by Bonnie Irwin, associate professor of English.

The Measuring Up 2000 report card, a state-by-state analysis of higher education released in November, gave Illinois an A in all three categories of affordability, preparation and participation.

Illinois also received a C+ in the category of completion of degree in five years and a B- in state economic benefits of higher education.

Keith Sanders, executive director of the IBHE, said in a press release, “We are delighted with the recognition of our efforts in affordability and expanding access to college.”

Gov. George Ryan said in the press release, “Illinois has made a strong commitment and wise investments in higher education, and it is paying off.”

Factors used by the center to determine affordability include: students ability to pay the cost of college; the amount of need-based assistance; the share of income that the poorest families need to pay tuition at the lowest priced colleges; and loan burden associated with higher education expenses.

The UPI report ranks Illinois as second in the nation for spending on financial aid, a fact that substantially contributes to the A given for affordability by the national center.

However, the UPI report also notes that in Illinois, private university students receive roughly half of all financial aid from the state, while they comprise only about a quarter of the student population.

In addition, the Statewide Results Report, a statewide evaluation of achievements compared to the Illinois Commitment by the IBHE, said, “Worrisome trends of college costs outpacing family income in the lowest economic strata persist.”

The Illinois Commitment is the blueprint for aligning education policies with public goals and the accountability framework for disclosing results, according to the report.

At Eastern, one of the cheapest public universities in Illinois, only 3 percent of the freshmen enrolled in the fall of 2000 were of low economic status, households with incomes of less than $18,000, according to ACT class profile information.

The UPI report also ranks Illinois 23 in public university faculty salaries, $58,419, compared to a rank of sixth for salaries of CEO’s, $302,220, at the largest public four-year university.

Faculty salaries provide one measure of a state’s commitment to high quality teaching. Illinois does not even approach the top 10 on that scoreboard said the UPI report.

The report also compares the faculty salary ranking with the national ranking of fifth for state legislature and ranking o fourth for governor salary.

At Eastern the average pay for faculty is currently $48,000, $10,000 less than the state average, and the average pay for the four vice presidents, three of whom are temporary, is $118,152, double the average pay of public university faculty throughout the state.

Closely related to faculty salaries, the lowest ranking for Illinois, 48, in the UPI report is under the category of public university benefits as a percentage of salary, 17 percent.

The report goes into further detail ranking the colleges and universities within Illinois in regards to the dollar value of major fringe benefits.

With a total of $8,200 as a value of major fringe benefits in fiscal year 1999, Eastern ranks last.

Following closely behind in the rankings are Chicago State University, $8,600, and Western Illinois University, $9,700.

Such benefits include pension contributions, medical insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, disability income protection, unemployment compensation and tuition waivers for faculty dependents, according to the UPI report.

As Measuring Up 2000 was being completed, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that for the first time three countries -Norway, Britain and the Netherlands-have surpassed the United States in the proportion of young people who graduate from college, according to a press release from the Nation center for Public Policy on Higher Education.

North Carolina Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., chair of the National Center’s Board of Directors, said in the press release, “Accessible, affordable and quality higher education is critical to preparing Americans for the high-skilled jobs of the new economy.”

The University Professionals of Illinois is a faculty union that represents faculty at Eastern, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago State University and Governors State University.

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is a nonpartisan California-based think tank on post secondary education issues.