COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, will be hosting a community advisory committee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Mississippi/Illinois Room at the Morris University Center, located at 1 Hairpin Drive on the Southern University of Illinois at Edwardsville campus. This discussion will focus on the impact of the state budget on local institutions of higher education and other issues impacting the higher education community.

“During the beginning of the recent budget impasse, I was still an instructor in the mathematics department at SIUE. I felt the impact of the impasse in my classroom and saw firsthand how it impacted my students,” said Stuart. “Members of the higher education community, including SIUE, Lewis and Clark, and others will have an opportunity to share with me how the impasse affected them as we strategize ways to move forward and ensure our universities and colleges remain world-class institutions.”

This discussion is open to all constituents in Stuart’s district, and she encourages anyone who has any unanswered questions concerning higher education in our area to attend this meeting.

“With the recent passage of a state budget, universities across the state are starting the lengthy process of rebuilding after the cuts and losses that spanned the over 720-day long impasse. I hope to discuss the rebuilding efforts and gain an understanding of how they should be prioritized,” Stuart continued. “Everyone – students, faculty, administration, staff, and the community at large – is invited to share their thoughts.”