Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1994 [PAGE 208]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[February 12

reductions. The candidate emphasized the importance of fairness and consultation in all management decisions and indicated a preference for managerial persuasion through presentation of convincing arguments. This individual gave evidence of good fund-raising experience and discussed past successes in raising funds from corporations and foundations. On the matter of diversity on campuses today, this candidate suggested that university presidents must set the tone and speak out on related issues so as to let the community know where the leader stands. Being visibly involved in programs that bring people together was stressed as important as well. The candidate had knowledge of health care education and service in a university setting, though no direct experience in managing a health care enterprise. The candidate's commitment to maintaining quality faculty and raising resources to keep such a faculty was stated very strongly. This individual also emphasized the need to build student commitment to a university by making the undergraduate experience as positive as possible, by ensuring that the quality of the learning experience is excellent. The candidate also remarked on the need for more investment in educational technology and opined that more resources were needed for faculty in order to increase distance-learning and other approaches to using technology for learning experiences in higher education. The interview concluded at 3:00 p.m. The board discussed all the interviews to that point until 3:45 p.m. then recessed until 4:45 p.m. At 4:45 p.m., the members of the board reconvened to meet with the fifth candidate. Again, the board members' questions followed the listing given earlier in these minutes. In responding to these questions, the candidate spoke of past experience and the way it fit the needs of the University of Illinois. Among the observations made by the candidate the following were presented as the most pressing for the University of Illinois in the next five years: the need for resources; the importance of undergraduate education; the importance of making clear that the University of Illinois is one university; the central role health sciences will play in the University of Illinois; and the role of technology in all phases of education and research. This candidate's whole career had been spent in public higher education. Thus, the candidate explained that it is important to articulate the ways the public gains value from higher education and a president of such an institution must be prepared to make the case for higher education with the consumers — the taxpayers. As testimony to having an ability to build coalitions and gain cooperation among various groups the candidate described past experience in establishing a nationwide consortium to strengthen undergraduate education in universities. The challenge of this experience was to keep the research universities interested and involved. The candidate achieved this and thought that the research universities saw