(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The way forward for higher education in Illinois will be a challenge, according to those who participated in a panel discussion at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

“We have to figure out strategies for making more effective use of the assets — physical plant, personnel, research — that we have,” said writer and former lawmaker Jim Nowlan. “We can’t simply ask for more money.”

Center for Tax and Budget Accountability executive director Ralph Martire had something to say unlikely to please Republicans.

“Our tax burden has gone up in Illinois, but we are still a relatively low tax state, compared to our neighbors and the rest of the country,” said Martire. “I’ll give you publicly available data: total state and local revenues from all sources, taxes, and fees; and personal income, divide one by the other, and as a percentage of income in Illinois ranks 24th in the country.”

That said, Illinois approaches what you might call a “population cliff” — with the number of 18-year-olds about to fall off drastically.