After a $10.3 million deficit last year at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the SIU Board of Trustees voted on Thursday morning to unanimously approve a balanced budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

The now accepted proposal has the university bringing in and spending nearly $341.6 million, according to university documents .

Along with the deficit came “really difficult decisions by the university,” said SIUE Chancellor James Minor, who’s led the campus since 2022.

“There's no question about that,” Minor said. “But I think, as an institution, we have to be clear eyed about how our academic programs are evolving and how industries are evolving.”

After reaching agreements with the faculty union, SIUE administrators have moved forward to phase out the physics major and mi

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