Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1990 [PAGE 446]

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BOARD O F T R U S T E E S

[January 16

BUSINESS PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY President Ikenberry recognized and introduced observers from the campus senates and from the University Senates Conference. 1 University's Acute Budget Problems President Ikenberry r e p o r t e d on the severe budgetary problems the University faces. H e told the board of the rescission required by the governor of all State agencies, including higher education. This amounts to $16.5 million for the University of Illinois. T h e president indicated that the University had anticipated this action on the part of the governor and had held back some monies for this purpose. However, with this significant budget cut, t h e r e will of necessity be some personnel reductions. T h e president r e p o r t e d on the work force monitoring system the University implemented last year and noted that we now know that the total work force was reduced by 375 employees from last year. This was accomplished primarily t h r o u g h attrition which will be the main m e t h o d for reducing the n u m b e r of employees further. T h e president noted that the strategic planning activities of the faculty at both campuses had been good and that the advice of these groups will be solicited m o r e in the future. H e said that it is clear that the University will have to become smaller if it is to get better. Early Retirement Program Suggestions As part of an effort to revitalize the University's talent base for the next several decades, the president indicated that t h e r e have been discussions of instituting an early retirement p r o g r a m . T h e president said that the University administration was still reviewing possibilities for such a p r o g r a m and would insist on certain conditions if such a p r o g r a m is adopted, to avoid losing some very important faculty and staff. More information was promised for a future meeting of the board. Tuition Plans T h e president told the board that he had chosen not to r e c o m m e n d a tuition increase now because the second semester was already underway and if a tuition increase were to be introduced at this time it would have to be approximately 25 percent, which would be too severe. However, the president stated that tuition will need to be increased for the year ahead and that it will need to be higher than was thought six m o n t h s ago. Mrs. Gravenhorst asked the president to alert the b o a r d to the a m o u n t needed in a tuition increase by J u n e 30, if possible.

1 University Senates Conference: Emanuel Donchin, professor and head of the Department of Psychology, Urbana-Champaign campus; Urbana-Champaign Senate Council: Nancy Patricia O'Brien, education subject specialist — assistant education social science librarian, and professor of library administration in library departmental services. There was no representative from the Chicago campus Senate.