SJ0053 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0053 LRB102 27155 MST 38660 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 6, 1865, when the Illinois General Assembly granted the charter that established the college, Lincoln College was the first institution named for Abraham Lincoln and the only one so named during his lifetime, a fact he learned shortly before his untimely death; and

WHEREAS, In the 2019-2020 academic year, Lincoln College had an enrollment of 1,234 students and an average tuition and fees of $19,400; the average cost for room and board and extra expenses was estimated to be $11,361 in the years of 2020-2021; and

WHEREAS, Of the 1,234 students attending Lincoln College, 844, or 68%, were MAP-eligible, and 769, or 62%, were Pell-eligible, indicating that a clear majority of the students attending Lincoln College demonstrated the need for financial assistance; and

WHEREAS, A total of 60% of Lincoln College students are part of a minority group, which are traditionally underrepresented at higher education institutions in this State; and

WHEREAS, On March 30, 2022, Lincoln College notified the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission of permanent closure effective May 13, 2022, 44 days after the announcement; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln College was the victim of a cyberattack in December 2021 that thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of Fall 2022 enrollment projections; all systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable; fortunately, no personal identifying information was exposed; once fully restored in March 2022, the projections displayed significant enrollment shortfalls, requiring a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester; and

WHEREAS, Students were notified that all credits earned at Lincoln College are valid and remain valid even after closure; the Higher Learning Commission regionally accredited Lincoln College, and credits will be considered for transfer by any other regionally accredited institution; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge every public and private university and community college in this State to extend their application deadlines for students currently enrolled at Lincoln College who are unable to continue their education at their institution due to circumstances beyond their control; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge every public and private university and community college in this State to honor the credits earned by students from Lincoln College and have those credits be transferred accordingly; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Lincoln College to waive transcript fees from students currently enrolled; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois public and private universities and community colleges to attend Lincoln College's student transfer fair on April 14 to assist its students in finding another college to attend; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois public and private universities and community colleges to waive the application fees for students of Lincoln College; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois public and private universities and community colleges to attempt to match or exceed the financial award letters, including scholarships, of Lincoln College students; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of Employment Security and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to work with the displaced Lincoln College employees to ease their financial hardships and support their attempts to find new employment; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we will continue striving to provide better protections for Illinois' higher education students in the unfortunate event of a closure of an institution of higher learning in the State and to help provide a smooth transition for students and a path to continue pursue higher education in Illinois.