October 29, 2025
SIU’s Simon Institute co-hosts panel on the future of higher education in Illinois
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, in partnership with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, will host a panel discussion Tuesday, Nov. 4, looking at the future of higher education in the state.
“The Future of Higher Education in Illinois: Dollars, Demographics, and Technology” is from 5:30-7 p.m. in the SIU Student Center, Ballroom B. A reception is from 5-5:30 p.m. in the John W. Corker Lounge. Registration is encouraged but not required. There will be a Q&A session. The panel discussion will be videotaped and available on the institute's YouTube channel.
Media availability
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to attend and cover the panel discussion. For more information, contact Will Becque, institute marketing coordinator, at 618-453-4009 or william.becque@siu.edu.
“We have assembled a terrific panel to analyze the current state of affairs in higher education in Illinois and to consider the future,” said John Shaw, institute director and panel moderator.
“We will examine the financial context shaping higher education in Illinois, demographic challenges, revolutionary developments in technology, and the most likely changes coming to our colleges and universities in the decade to come.”
The panelists are:
- State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, whose 103rd legislative district includes all or parts of Champaign, Urbana and unincorporated Staley in east central Illinois.
- Daniel F. Mahony, president, Southern Illinois University System.
- Ralph Martire, executive director, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.
- Jim Nowlan, author of several books on Illinois politics and government, former member of the Illinois General Assembly, state agency director and retired university professor.
The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is a Chicago-based nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization “committed to advancing social and economic justice for all.”
More information, including a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events, is available.