Illinois State University is asking the state to use nearly $85 million in funds for its fiscal 2014 operating budget, according to the Associated Press.

The university acknowledges that it is unlikely to receive that much, according to the AP. The university trustees approved a request Friday representing an about 17 percent increase in current state funding. Illinois has been steadily decreasing money for higher education as it grapples with debt, unpaid bills and other budget woes, according to the AP.

ISU President Al Bowman said it is symbolically important to tell the state what they need, according to the AP.

The Bloomington Pantagraph reports the university’s appropriations have dropped from $92 million to $72 million since Bowman became president in 2003.

Bowman said the ISU has turned to tuition, private donations and grants to cope, according to the AP. ISU has also been helped by stable enrollment.