Produced by Brian Mackey

This time of year, when the weather is nice, campuses are usually filled with activity. But in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield, campus life at the University Illinois has all but come to a halt.

Like public universities around the world, the University of Illinois system has had to scramble in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Although the remainder of the spring and summer sessions have moved completely online, U. of I. President Tim Killeen says he expects students will return to campus soon.

“I'm confident that we’ll get back to face to face instruction in the fall, assuming that we get back to responsible social distancing,” Killeen said.

He sat down with The 21st for a wide-ranging conversation on the timeline of the university’s response, the university’s finances, student finances, and what’s next for higher education.

Editor's note: WILL/Illinois Public Media is licensed to the University of Illinois.