Skip to content
SIClogobluehighres-white
  • Falcon Portal
  • Technical Support
  • Give to SIC
  • Request Information
  • Apply Now
  • About SIC
    • ABOUT SIC

      • About SIC
      • Mission Statement
      • Academic Calendar
      • SIC Viewbook
      • Directory
      • Administration
      • Institutional Effectiveness
      • President’s Welcome
      • Connect With SIC
    • BOARD OF TRUSTEES

      • Board of Trustees
      • Board Election Information
      • Board Minutes Archive
      • Board Policies
      • Contact the Board Chair
      • Public Notice
    • FACTS & HISTORY

      • Accountability
      • Facts and History
      • Financial Information
      • History
      • Legends and Lore
    • Maps & Directions

      • Maps & Directions
      • Extension Sites
      • Parking
      • District Map
  • Admissions
    • Admissions

      • Admissions
      • Transfer and Other Credit
      • Student ID Card
      • Parents Information
      • FERPA
      • Placement Testing
      • Recruiter Request
      • Future Students
      • High School Students
      • Why SIC?
  • Academics
    • Academics

      • Academic Calendar
      • Programs by Department
      • Program Curriculum Guides
      • Transfer Curriculum
      • Cooperative Agreements
      • University Partners
      • Adult Basic Education (GED)
      • Community Education
      • Library
      • Online Learning
      • Online Student Complaint Procedures
      • Faculty Handbook
      • Final Exam Schedule
    • Programs by Department

      • Applied Technology
      • Career and Technical Education
      • Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts
      • Math, Science, & Technology
      • Nursing and Allied Health
      • Workforce and Community Education
      • View All Programs by Department
      • Online Courses and Programs
  • Financial Aid
        • Financial Aid

          • Financial Aid
          • Cost of Attendance
          • Tuition & Payment
          • Student Loans
          • Student Worker Job Postings
        • Scholarships & Grants

          • Scholarships and Grants
          • Grants
          • SIC Scholarships
          • Fresh Start Scholarship
          • Foundation Scholarships
          • Outside Scholarships
        • Veteran Services

          • Veteran Services
          • Veteran Admissions
          • Federal Veteran Benefits
          • Illinois Veterans Benefits
          • Scholarships & Financial Aid
          • Resources
          • Tuition Assistance
        • Resources

          • Forms
          • Policies
          • Net Price Calculator
          • FAQ
          • Myths About Financial Aid
          • Don’t Get Scammed
  • Student Services
    • Student Services

      • Student Services
      • Academic Advising
      • Bookstore
      • Career Services
      • Disability Services
        • ADA Compliance
      • Fitness Center
      • Food Services
      • Illinois Worknet Center
      • Mental Health Wellness
      • Public Transportation
      • Records and Transcripts
      • Graduation
      • Housing Insecurity Aid
      • Recruiter Request
      • Voter Registration
      • Technology Services
      • Title III
      • Upward Bound
    • Student Success Center

      • Student Success Center
      • Perkins Services
      • Testing
      • Tutoring
    • TRiO Student Support Services

      • TRIO Student Support Services
      • What Is TRIO?
      • Program Eligibility
      • Program Services
      • Staff
      • Trio Events and Calendar
      • Student Resources
      • TRIO Director’s Page
    • Technology Services

      • Technology Services
      • Student Account Setup
      • Student Name Changes
      • Email Sync
      • Technology Policies
      • Office 365
      • O365 Account Transfer
      • Online Learning
      • Open Access Labs
      • Wireless Access
  • Campus Life
    • Athletics

      • Baseball
      • Men’s Basketball
      • Bowling Team
      • Golf
      • Women’s Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Official SIC Athletics Site
    • Competitive Teams

      • Falcon Archers
      • Clay Breakers
      • Falcons Faction of Gamers
      • Forensic Falcons
      • Model Illinois Government (MIG)
      • Phi Theta Kappa (Honor Society)
    • Activities, Clubs & Organizations

      • B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers and Sisters in Christ)
      • Circle K (Kiwanis) Club
      • SIC Community Chorus
      • SIC Community Jazz Band
      • SIC Concert Choir
      • Computer Organization
      • StrategIC
      • Diesel Technology Club
      • Math and Science Club
      • Nursing Club
      • Outfitter Wildlife Management Organization
      • Phi Theta Kappa (Honor Society)
      • Student Government
      • Theta Sigma Phi
      • Welding Organization
  • Community & Alumni
    • Community & Alumni

      • Community & Alumni
      • Alumni & Friends Association
      • Distinguished Alumni
      • Child Care at SIC
      • Community Education
      • Cosmetology Services
      • Children’s Activities
      • Ella Elizabeth Hise Museum of Regional Art
      • Outdoor Life at SIC
      • Small Business Development Center
      • Visual and Performance Art
    • SIC Foundation

      • SIC Foundation
      • Giving Levels
      • Giving Opportunities
      • Foundation Board
      • Donor Bill of Rights
      • SIC Foundation Strategic Plan
      • Privacy Policy
      • FAQ
      • Alumni & Friends Association
      • Distinguished Alumni
      • Contact Us
      • Community & Alumni
    • Give to SIC

      • Give to SIC
      • Giving Opportunities
        • A Gift of Life Insurance
        • A Bequest
        • Charitable Gift Annuity
        • Charitable Remainder Trust
        • Establish an Endowment
        • Estate & Planned Giving
        • Gift Acceptance Policy
        • Gift in Kind
        • Matching Gift
        • Memorial & Tribute Gift
        • Real Estate
        • Retirement Assets
      • FAQ
      • Give Now – Online Donation
      • Community & Alumni
  • Falcon Portal
  • Give to SIC
  • Technical Support
Apply Now
Request Info

SITE SEARCH

SIC>News>Attention Springfield: Do Something Before It’s Too Late

All News

Alumni
Archery
Athletics
Basketball
Bowling Team
Clubs & Competitive Teams
Community Education
Esports - Falcons FoG
Events
Forensic Falcons
General
Hise Museum
Honors and Awards
MIG
MJOC-Child Study Center
Programs
SIC Foundation
Softball
Visual & Performing Arts
WISBDC

Attention Springfield: Do Something Before It’s Too Late

June 20, 2017

A column by Southeastern Illinois College President Jonah Rice, Ph.D.

Illinois has been without a budget for two years and we’re looking at a minimum of one more, maybe even two additional years in a playground standoff that harms our great state.

In the last few years, I hear friends talk about how they can’t wait to get out of Illinois when they can retire.  Many choose not to wait for that milestone and pack their bags.  Those who are already gone chide our beloved state from across the borders.

Business owners talk about how they will leave Illinois because it’s such an unstable place.

Sadly, students are beginning to sing the same song due to uncertainty.

That’s the residual message in all of this.  Uncertainty.

Take higher education for instance.

As for Southeastern Illinois College, we have fared better than expected due to conservative fiscal management and great support from our community, but no college or university will weather well if the next 24 months are as dry as the previous 24 months.

Take for instance, the southernmost eight community colleges are around 40 percent dependent upon state funding due to a low tax base.  In SIC’s case, that base is in large part because of 1) our rural population and 2) the large tracts of Shawnee National Forest which cannot be taxed for institutional support.  (I’ve often wished for an oxygen surcharge for all that the trees produce, to no avail.)

Imagine 40 percent of your household or business income being swept away, for the most part, receiving only a penance of what you should get.

Imagine the tough choices that have to be made while protecting services.  Here’s a list of just some of the services that Southeastern provides:

  • Maintains the state’s and region’s top nursing program
  • Offers one of the best online college opportunities in the country
  • Sponsors the state championship speech and debate team
  • Provides training to great jobs in welding and diesel as well as quality transfer courses for those who wish to move on to a four-year degree
  • Produces a multitude of those who finish as lawyers, pharmacists, MDs, engineers, and teachers
  • Offers a nationally recognized biofuels program
  • Provides life-saving coal mine training
  • Hosts a nationally recognized archery team
  • Has maintained a Workforce and Small Business Development Center that has created and saved countless jobs
  • Boasts one of the best tuition rates in the tri-state region

And other community colleges do so much as well – for a fraction of the cost of a four-year institution.

According to Forbes Magazine (March 21, 2017), the price and quality of instruction at community colleges can’t be beat.  Plus, many jobs now only require two-year technical degrees and certificates that pay better than four-year degrees.

Recently, Time Magazine stated that the gap between salaries for people with only a high school diploma and a community college degree will only widen.  And the need is there, especially for technical jobs.

Nearly 50 percent of small businesses say they can’t find qualified applicants to fill open spots.  Community colleges help fill these jobs and could do more with reliable, sufficient state support.

If the state doesn’t pay us, we have to make cuts and look elsewhere to maintain services for our region to prosper.

Community colleges need to continue to train nurses to care for you and your loved ones and supply welders and mechanics to support local industry.  And community colleges provide the lowest tuition rates for students who don’t want to pay outrageous university tuition rates.

So, to sum up:

  1. The state is in an irreconcilable division beyond what is comprehensible
  2. Higher education is unfunded—again
  3. Our state is leaking people like a bucket without a bottom
  4. We in higher education have cut and cut and cut and have still managed to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

But enough is enough.

Do what’s right for the common good.  Find common ground.  Use common sense.

Do something before it’s too late.

###

Posts navigation

PREVIOUS
NEXT

START YOUR COLLEGE JOURNEY AT SIC

Apply Now
SIC Campus

Tour Southeastern Illinois College

Check out our virtual tour of campus to get an inside look at all that Southeastern Illinois College has to offer. Want to see it all in person? Contact us today to visit our campus.

Visit SIC
SIClogobluehighres-white
  • 3575 College Rd.
    Harrisburg, IL  62946

  • info@sic.edu

  • 618.252.5400 / 866.338.2742

  • Maps & Directions

  • Accountability
  • Catalog
  • Consumer Information
  • Emergency/Security
  • Mission Statement
  • Library Resources
  • Accreditation
  • Academic Calendar
  • Course Schedule
  • Bookstore
  • Employment
  • Directory
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Supporting Our Veterans
Call for Art Proposals

Succeed. Inspire. Connect.

Apply Now
Request Information
Jul 7, 2025 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Career Exploration Camps for Middle Schoolers begin in Harrisburg
Jul 11, 2025 | 7:00 pm - 7:00 pm
"Annie Jr." by Jr. Falcon Productions
Jul 12, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 2:00 pm
"Annie Jr." by Jr. Falcon Productions
View All Events

© 2025 Southeastern Illinois College  |  Privacy Statement  |  Accreditation

Southeastern Illinois College