Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1944 [PAGE 218]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1942]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

215

3. Eliminate the use of committees for administrative purposes. This is really a corollary to "2." T h e recommendation in the Report providing that only those committees having advisory functions should be retained is sound. T h e Report, however, fails to distinguish between the advisory and the administrative committees. It should have done this and then recommended the abolition of the administrative committees. 4. T h e Board of Trustees should confine its activities to legislation and not attempt to administer the University. This statement does not seem to be open to debate. T h e Board, however, should have reports from time to time so that it will be able to keep informed concerning the actual work of the institution. It should know at least in broad outlines what is "going on" in the University. If full agreement were reached on the foregoing statements there might still remain differences of opinion concerning the best means of realizing them. While I cannot agree on all points with the Administrative Review, neither can I accept in full the recommendations of the Report. The following comments pertain to the proposed organization at the "top management" level as shown in the chart following page 76 of the Report. This discussion should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the main objectives of the Report are sound and desirable. 1. T h e proposal for a Vice-President of Education and Research is good. However, the activities assigned to this officer give him too large a span of control. His position would come almost as near being an impossible one as that of the President under the present organization. Furthermore, for the most effective functioning of the University there are certain other members of the staff who should be directly responsible to the President. Among these are the Dean of Students and the Director of Institutional Research. Both of these officers should have university-wide relationships, but as indicated elsewhere the Director of Institutional Research should not be thought of as an administrative officer except for his small office staff. As a means of further relief of the proposed Vice-President of Education and Research, consideration should be given to the creation of the position of Director of Professional Education. This officer should have general administrative responsibility for all of the professional schools with the exception of those located in Chicago and of engineering and of agriculture. H e should be responsible to the Vice-President of Education and Research. As far as I know, this has not been tried in any university, but this should not be a reason for rejecting it. These professional schools have much in common, and the creation of the position of Director of Professional Education would greatly reduce the span of control of the Vice-President. 2. T h e recommendation for a Business Manager is sound. H e should be responsible for the duties suggested in the Report (p. 6 9 ) . T h e Report might well go further and recommend the abolition of the position of Comptroller and place the Comptroller's duties in the accounting division. T h e procedure suggested in the Report for financial statements coming to the Board, together with the annual audit by an outside auditor, would be ample protection for the Board in financial matters. 3. T h e Director of the Bureau of Institutional Research should be directly responsible to the President. H i s activities should not be limited to studies in the field of education and research. H e should be available for studies in business, student relations, and in public relations as well. In short, the Bureau should be used by the President in any part of the University about which he feels the need for factual information. In no sense should the Director be considered an administrative officer except for his office staff. 4. T h e Dean of Students should be made directly responsible to the President. The duties of this officer should be extended to include the Registrar, the Director of Graduate Placements, and those activities concerned with attracting students to the University of Illinois if such work is to be conducted. No attempt should be made to completely centralize graduate placement. In general, employers will wish direct access to the schools and the faculties which have had to do with the training of persons they are considering for positions. Student placement should be under the Dean of Students, and such a degree of centralization of graduate placement as is desirable and practicable