The president of Western Illinois University says the state budget impasse has forced the school to act like a private university.
He says that's actually led to some positive change.
For the past two years WIU has received just half of what it's owed by the state.
President Jack Thomas says because of that, the school has had to forge partnerships with corporations to make ends meet.
When that happens, companies get a say in what their money's used for, and Thomas says that can lead to new programs for students.
For instance, the school introduced a Mechanical Engineering program this year with money it got from John Deere.
Thomas says partnerships like this are here to stay, regardless of whether Illinois passes a budget.
"We feel that this will help us to be a better university, to provide more opportunities for our students. Therefore we think this is the way of the future and this will be around for some time to come. "
WIU has had to furlough and layoff staff as a result of the impasse. Thomas says it'll have to continue to do that until the state passes a budget.