U of I seeks $50 million

The University of Illinois plans to ask the state for an extra $50 million over the next five years for its medical school. University officials say that, without the money, the already expensive tuition at the College of Medicine will increase, forcing new doctors with heavy debt to seek out higher-paying specialties rather than working with the poor. And university officials say faculty will go elsewhere in search of better pay, while facilities deteriorate. The College of Medicine, the country's largest medical school, now gets just over $106 million a year from the state to train doctors, dentists and other health care professionals.