Leaders in higher education joined forces Monday to send a message to Illinois state lawmakers.

The college and university leaders pleaded with the lawmakers to fight the Trump administration's threats to federal funding — such as grants that help students pay for college.

The goal was "to sound the alarm, to show how important it is to let people know Illinois cares about the value of a higher education degree," said Illinois state Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Illinois).

Ford stood some 20 leaders from universities, state colleges, and community programs that support college-bound students.

"With the changes to the Department of Education, it's imperative that there is no disruption or discontinuation of essential student financial aid programs," said Dr. Carol Sumner, vice president, and chief diversity officer at Northern Illinois University.

The fear is that federal funds that support programs like the ones at Introspect Youth Services in Chicago's Austin neighborhood would disappear. The organization gets $2.5 million a year to offer tutoring, ACT prep, financial literacy, and counseling to low-income high school students.

If that money went away, Introspect Youth Services executive director Bernard Clay said all the organization's outreach services would be eliminated, as well it staff.

"We have 18 full-time and 10 part-time," Clay said. "They would all be gone."

Clay added that 2,500 students in a year would not be served.

Students like Angel Fallen are among those who will suffer.

"I was once a troubled teenage girl struggling with respect and aggression," she said.

Fallen credits the counselors from a federally funded program at her alternative high school with changing her life. 

"They were there for me, especially during the darkest time in my life when I lost my mom. I became unmotivated and stopped attending school, but the dean and the entire staff made it their mission to get me back on track," she said. "Thanks to them, I am now passing all my classes, and will finish my high school work by the middle of March."

Rep. Ford also pointed out that in the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 250,000 in Illinois received $1 billion in Pell grants to help students pay for college.

If that funding is cut, Ford said there would be big problems for those who depend on those grants.

"The state cannot at this time foot the bill for replacing the federal dollars," he said.

Ford and the others who spoke Monday said the future of higher education is up to Congress. They suggested voters contact their Democratic and Republican lawmakers and ask them to vote against any cuts to higher education.