Like Old Man River, the University of Illinois builds and swells while the nearby tributaries dwindle.
There are benefits to expansion. We're in the midst of a housing boom. And the athletic department benefits. As UI attendance increases toward a three-campus goal of 93,000 in the early 2020s, the $25 per-semester payments by UIUC students toward the State Farm Center will increase well beyond the original $2.1 million per year. Add the massive influx of Big Ten media distributions, and Josh Whitman's financial future should be all roses ... even if the key teams don't win enough games.