By By: Jennifer Fuller
Springfield, IL – Southern Illinois University's President says he's excited to hear about some of the initiatives in Governor Pat Quinn's State of the State address but wonders if the money will be there to fund them.
SIU President Glenn Poshard says the Governor's focus on education is a good thing for Illinois. He says he's especially happy with Pat Quinn's call for an increase in funding for the Monetary Award Program, which has struggled with high demand and not enough funding recently:
"This past year, we had nearly half of our MAP-eligible applications turned down because there just wasn't any money left. So to the extent that we can pick up more students through the MAP program, means that we can keep that door open a little bit wider for more low-income students for SIU."
Poshard says he's also pleased with the Governor's push for a higher dropout age and increased support for early childhood education. He says adding money to education is an investment in the future, and something he expects will pay off.
