Sangamon Sun

Sen. Sally Turner recently took steps to give Lincoln College its due respect.

As a step to recognize Lincoln College, Turner spoke about House Joint Resolution 92 on the Senate Floor on April 9, during which she urged other universities to waive the application fees for the transferring students.

"I’m bringing this on behalf of Rep. Tim Butler and myself and the citizens of Lincoln, Illinois and Logan County. As many of you may know on Mar. 30, Lincoln College notified the board of higher education in The Higher Learning Commission of its permanent closure effective  May 13, 2022 — 44 days after its announcement," Turner said. "There are some of you that may not know, on Feb. 6, 1865, the Illinois General Assembly granted the charter that established Lincoln College. It was the first institution name for Abraham Lincoln and the only one named during his lifetime, of which was a fact that he learned shortly before his untimely death. Of the 1,234 students attending Lincoln College, 844 are map eligible 769 were Pell-eligible, indicating the clear majority of these students attending college demonstrate the need for financial assistance. In addition, a total of 60% of Lincoln College are in a minority group, which are traditionally underrepresented in higher education institutions within the state. We just wanted to recognize Lincoln College and urge public universities and private universities and community colleges to waive application fees and any other fees for transfer for these students and to accept these students and their financial award letters including scholarships and our students from Lincoln College."

House Joint Resolution 92 urges public and private universities and community colleges in the state to extend their application deadlines for students who were enrolled in Lincoln College, which announced it would be closing its doors.

House Joint Resolution 92 was filed on April 4 and was adopted by the House on April 8 and by the Senate on April 9.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Tim Butler in the House and Turner in the Senate.