By Emily Capdevielle of ChicagoTalks.org Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) plans to reform or possibly abolish the General Assembly scholarship program when the legislature returns to Springfield in January. “We don’t know what those reforms could be. It could be anything from streamlining the process, creating a uniform process, or it could be complete [...]

By Stacey Alletto of ChicagoTalks.org The millions of dollars in scholarships Illinois lawmakers hand out each year to high school graduates in their districts could be better spent on students who couldn’t otherwise afford to go to college, higher education experts say. They recommend the General Assembly scholarships be used to target the state’s poorest [...]

By Shawna Lent of ChicagoTalks.org Efforts to abolish the century-old Illinois General Assembly scholarship program have proven unsuccessful in the past, but outside of eliminating it altogether, higher education and financial aid experts believe there are ways to improve it. Whether it is establishing a consistent set of standards in choosing the winners or being [...]

By Kevin Lee              217-526-9804 SPRINGFIELD  –  Some lawmakers are wondering why the legislature continues the General Assembly scholarship program when there are plenty of other ways to help students go to college. Under the General Assembly scholarship program, lawmakers can award free tuition to public university students in their district. An investigation by Illinois Statehouse [...]

By Kevin Lee              217-526-9804 SPRINGFIELD  –  9-out-of-10 Illinois lawmakers give-out free tuition to the state’s public universities, but there is sizable support to do away with the program all together.  An investigation into scholarships handed out by the General Assembly by Illinois Statehouse News and a team of Columbia College students found numerous problems and [...]

By Kevin Lee 217-528-9604 UNDATED – Each year, the University of Illinois and the state’s seven other public universities shoulder the costs of students whose only qualifications may be who they know or how much their parents donate to campaigns. A new investigation by Illinois Statehouse News and Columbia College Chicago reveals that lawmakers are [...]