Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1990 [PAGE 210]

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198

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[March 14

Susan L. Gravenhorst, Mr. T h o m a s R. Lamont, Ms. J u d i t h R. Reese, Mrs. Nina T. Shepherd, Mr. Charles P. Wolff. Ms. Dawn O'Shay Kelly was absent. T h e board then received a brief address from Governor Edgar. T h e governor told the other board members that in his first budget, proposed for Fiscal Year 1992, it was necessary to cut approximately one-half billion dollars" from currently funded programs. However, his major priority was education and thus there were no cuts proposed for higher education in the budget, and some modest increases for elementary and secondary education. T h e budget proposed for higher education for FY 1992 is the same as the budget for FY 1991. However, the governor has r e c o m m e n d e d a reallocation of $17 million for tuition aid to students. T h e governor indicated that the State has not lived within its means for the last two years and that he will not approve a budget from the General Assembly that does not balance. T h e governor promised to do all he can to protect higher education from budget cuts. Next, the governor spoke to the rather unusual n a t u r e of his attendance at a meeting of the Board of Trustees, noting that former Governor T h o m p s o n came to a board meeting once to seek help from the trustees in passing a surtax. Governor Edgar said that he, too, saw the need for a surtax in the State. H e indicated that he wants a close working relationship with the University of Illinois and that he planned to attend o t h e r meetings of the board in the future and looked forward to an ongoing dialogue with the University of Illinois. BUSINESS PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY President Ikenberry spoke to efforts within the University to reallocate funds which have been ongoing for several years. He indicated that he could not fault the governor's decision to support elementary and secondary education as his highest budget priority, stating that, in fact, he had sympathy with this decision. H e then recognized and introduced observers from the campus senates and from the University Senates Conference. 1 President Ikenberry also recognized guests from the Wesley Church and Foundation Committee on the Urbana-Champaign campus, and indicated that each one would be introduced at luncheon. OLD AND NEW BUSINESS Report on Special Meeting of Association of Governing Boards Mrs. Shepherd r e p o r t e d on a meeting sponsored by the Association of Governing Boards in Washington, D.C., that she had attended since the last b o a r d meeting. T h e topic of the meeting dealt with a variety of

1 University Senates Conference: James E. Simon, associate professor of architecture, UrbanaChampaign campus; Urbana-Champaign Senate Council: Jon C. Liebman, professor of civil engineering; Chicago campus Senate; Edward A. Lichter, professor of medicine and secretary of the Faculty Senate.