Governor J-B Pritzker says higher education in Illinois will receive a much-needed pick-me-up under the new "Rebuild Illinois" program.
The governor joined lawmakers and university presidents in Springfield Friday to celebrate the capital plan's investments.
SIU System President Kevin Dorsey says Rebuild Illinois gives those in higher education hope and confidence for a brighter future.
"This is especially critical in the rural areas of the state, where universities tend to be or are the economic engines in those communities. 'Make no mistake about it governor, you have a friend in Springfield, and in Carbondale, and in Edwardsville and all of the other sites where we teach and work.'"
For Southern Illinois University, the capital budget program includes money for a newly renovated Communications Building on the Carbondale campus, along with millions of dollars for infrastructure updates and other projects.
Major projects at other schools include a new health sciences building at SIU-Edwardsville, a quantum physics facility at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and new science buildings at Western and Eastern Illinois universities.
