Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1938 [PAGE 259]

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1937]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

257

T H E STATE NATURAL R E S O U R C E S BUILDING (2) As previously reported to the Board, the State Department of Registration and Education has been seeking an appropriation for a State Natural Resources Building to house the State Natural History and Geological Survey Divisions. On March 9, 1937, a proposal was made to the Board of Trustees t h a t a separate appropriation be made to the Department of Registration and Education for the erection of such a building at the University on a site to be deeded to the State by the Board of Trustees, and that when erected the University should operate this building. The Board did not see its way clear to accepting the responsibility of operating and maintaining a building which would belong to another agency of the State. T h e Board felt that if the University is to operate the building the appropriation should be made t o it and the building constructed in the same way as other University buildings. This was explained to the Governor by the Chiefs of the State Geological and State Natural History Survey Divisions and by the Director of the Department of Registration and Education. I submit the following letter recently received from the Director of the Department: May 4, 1937 President A. C. Willard, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.

D E A R PRESIDENT W I L L A R D :

Referring to our conference which you, Dr. Frison, Dr. Leighton and myself had in my office sometime ago when we discussed the two alternatives in requesting an appropriation of $300,000 for the State Natural Resources Building, I can now report as follows: Late last Thursday afternoon, when Leighton and Frison were over here, I gained an audience with Governor Horner and we set forth the two plans. The Governor agreed to accept the recommendation of the two Chiefs t h a t the appropriation be made to the University, and he requested that I inform Director Nudelman of the Department of Finance this week regarding this and have it added as a section in the University bill but clearly earmarked for this purpose. I have today transmitted this information to Mr. Nudelman. I recall t h a t we both felt at the time t h a t this should be carried in a separate bill, but it seems now t h a t there would be no advantage to this procedure but rather an inconvenience. I suggest, however, that the section be made to cover authorization to accept funds from federal sources. I am asking the two Chiefs to discuss this matter with you, with reference to any further details, following which I shall be pleased to hear from you. Yours very truly,

J O H N J. HALLIHAN

Director

On motion of Mr. Cleary, the President of the University was instructed to advise the Department of Registration and Education, in reply to its request presented by the Director in his letter of May 4, that it is the opinion of the Board of Trustees that the appropriation for a State Natural Resources Building should be made to the University, that it should be presented to the General Assembly in a separate bill sponsored by the Department, instead of as a section of the bill for the biennial appropriation to the University, and that there should be included in the appropriation an amount sufficient to provide for connections to the building of the necessary service lines including water, gas, steam, electricity, and any other utilities necessary in operating the building; and the President and the University Counsel were authorized to assist the Department in preparing a draft of a bill for this appropriation.

L A P S I N G O F B A L A N C E S IN T H E G E N E R A L R E S E R V E F U N D (3) The action of the Board of Trustees in approving the budget for each year provides t h a t "when appointments are made at salary rates less than the amounts