Chicago State Aims To Open Second Campus Despite Low Enrollment, Struggles

This Feb. 26, 2016 file photo shows the campus at Chicago State University in Chicago. Officials at the school say they are preparing for possible layoffs in April as the university’s funds dwindle.
This Feb. 26, 2016 file photo shows the campus at Chicago State University in Chicago. Officials at the school say they are preparing for possible layoffs in April as the university's funds dwindle. Charles Rex Arbogast, File / AP Photo
This Feb. 26, 2016 file photo shows the campus at Chicago State University in Chicago. Officials at the school say they are preparing for possible layoffs in April as the university’s funds dwindle.
This Feb. 26, 2016 file photo shows the campus at Chicago State University in Chicago. Officials at the school say they are preparing for possible layoffs in April as the university's funds dwindle. Charles Rex Arbogast, File / AP Photo

Chicago State Aims To Open Second Campus Despite Low Enrollment, Struggles

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Illinois’ budget stalemate has public universities worried about their future. One school hit particularly hard is Chicago State University. Enrollment is way down and staff have lost their jobs. But an investigation from the Chicago Tribune shows the school still pursued ambitions of growth, working toward opening a second campus on the city’s West Side. And taxpayers footed the bill for some of that planning. Morning Shift talks to the Tribune’s Higher Education reporter Dawn Rhodes, co-writer of the story.