Illinois universities were promised a $2.9 billion boost for campus construction as part of the 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan, but five years later, many of the projects are still stuck in planning stages, causing frustration among administrators and faculty. Rising construction costs and delays due to staffing issues at the Capital Development Board (CDB) have left half of the 16 projects in limbo.

“It's been slow, and it’s been frustrating at times,” said Matt Bierman, vice president of business affairs at Eastern Illinois University (EIU), which is hoping to build a new science building. The delays stem from a series of setbacks, including the CDB’s lack of staffing and a significant increase in construction costs. Construction costs surged nearly 40% by 2023, exacerbating the problem, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.

“We lost about $30 million in buying power,” said Mark Luer, dean of the College of Pharmacy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). SIUE was able to move forward with its Health Sciences Building, but had to make significant changes to the original plans. "We started making tradeoffs, like, 'Well, we really need this. If we're going to cut back, let’s cut back in these areas,'" Luer said.

SIU Carbondale faced a similar issue when plans to fully renovate its 1960s-era Communications Building were scaled back because costs exceeded the allocated $85 million. Hong Cheng, dean of the College of Arts and Media at SIU, explained that when additional funding didn’t come through, the university had to adjust its plans.

To address these issues, state officials recently announced that $575 million would be allocated in the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s (IBHE) 2025 budget to help schools cover rising construction costs. IBHE spokesperson Jose Garcia said the board is also urging lawmakers to carry over any unspent funds and expedite project approvals in 2026 to ensure projects are completed on time.

The state’s Capital Development Board (CDB) has faced similar challenges with its staffing. The board oversees all major projects, but its staff, which has dwindled due to retirements, has struggled to keep pace with the number of projects. “There’s a lot of projects … and they can’t be accomplished all at once,” Bierman said. He expects EIU's science building project to be completed by 2029 — a full decade after the passage of the Rebuild Illinois plan.

Tamakia Edwards, who became the executive director of CDB in May, acknowledged the challenges. She emphasized the agency’s focus on improving its processes and workforce. “We have 658 projects, in all phases of project delivery,” she said, explaining that the pandemic only added to the workload. “We’re constantly looking at process improvements and how to mitigate risk,” Edwards added.

Despite the delays in the design phases, Luer noted that once projects are ready for bid, construction tends to proceed much faster. SIUE's Health Sciences Building, for example, will be completed this spring, with classes starting in the new building by August. “Once we got to the point of putting it out for bid, it all moved really quickly,” Luer said.

However, universities like SIU Carbondale and EIU will face further delays. SIU Carbondale is receiving an additional $15 million for the Communications Building renovation, but this requires more design work, pushing the timeline back. At EIU, Bierman said, "I don’t know how much longer they’re going to stay ahead of the curve in terms of getting something designed that’s going to meet today’s needs."

As for future priorities, EIU plans to focus on renovating existing buildings rather than building new ones. Bierman said, “We want renovation dollars. We want to fix what we have, instead of a building that somebody can put a shovel in the ground for a press release.” The deferred maintenance of university buildings across Illinois has reached a critical level, with more than $8.3 billion in needed repairs, according to IBHE data.

Edwards also recognized the challenges posed by Illinois’ aging campus infrastructure, noting that preserving historic buildings is a priority. "We have some rich history in our buildings across the state, and we want to preserve that history and take care of our assets," she said.

As universities in Illinois wait for much-needed funds to address deteriorating facilities, some are calling for more consistent funding from the state rather than focusing on a few large projects. With enrollment declining and budget shortfalls worsening, officials argue that tackling aging infrastructure is essential to both preserving the state’s educational assets and attracting new students.

The delays in Illinois’ higher education construction projects have highlighted larger issues with state funding, bureaucratic hurdles, and the impact of rising costs on public sector projects. Universities have voiced concerns over how limited funding can be stretched to cover the gap left by higher-than-expected costs, especially when initial budgets and plans are no longer viable. The ongoing debate centers around balancing the desire for modernized facilities with the reality of working within constrained financial resources.

As Illinois universities contend with these challenges, they continue to urge lawmakers for timely interventions and adjustments that would allow for long-term sustainability and improvement of the state's higher education infrastructure. This situation is not unique to Illinois but reflects broader national trends in public sector construction, where inflation and staffing shortages are hampering progress. Universities are looking at new ways to manage funding allocations, including relying on a mix of public and private partnerships to bring projects to fruition in a way that meets the needs of current and future students.

This ongoing struggle to fund and implement university construction projects has sparked discussion among state lawmakers about the need for increased capital investment in higher education. As some projects finally begin to move forward, many universities are calling for a broader reevaluation of how the state approaches the long-term funding of public infrastructure. The hope is that by addressing these systemic challenges, Illinois can set a new course for reinvigorating its university campuses and ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Originally reported by Ryan Grieser and The Saluki Local Reporting Lab.