Disinvestment in Higher Education and its Impact on Society: Case of Illinois Public Universities

This research analyzed the disinvestment in higher education in Illinois. This study is an exploratory case study based on interviews with eleven Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Associate Vice Presidents of Enrollment Management from nine Illinois public universities, qualitative analysis, and secondary data. This study revealed four main themes: the challenges in public universities due to disinvestment in higher education, students migrating outside Illinois, the importance of AIM HIGH Grants, and increased creativity in recruiting students by admissions departments. Disinvestment in higher education had the following impacts: increased tuition, diminished enrollment of students, students migrating outside Illinois, deferred maintenance, loss of talented faculty, and reduction of capital projects.