Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1988 [PAGE 516]

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506

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[April 14

Status of Planning: Racial Difficulties on the Campuses At the request of Trustee Smith, each of the chancellors reported briefly on the campuses' readiness to deal effectively with incidents such as are occurring elsewhere. T h e r e have been no such events to date. Steps taken must be related to the precise nature of a particular incident. It was pointed out that the essential need is for a campus climate that can rniriimize the intensity or the difficulties without expansion or escalation. T h e need is to act swiftly. T h e board will be kept informed. EXECUTIVE SESSION ADJOURNED There being no further business, the executive session adjourned at 9:05 a.m. Following the executive session, a meeting of the Committee on Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity was held to receive a presentation from William R. Oschwald, director, and James D . Oliver, associate director of the Cooperative Extension Service, with regard to a variety of urban programs offered by that service in the Chicago area and in urban areas in Illinois in general. Note: On the previous day, Wednesday, April 13, a regular meeting of the Committee on the University Hospital was held, providing a current financial report and information regarding the effect of financial difficulties on the various residency programs of the colleges of the Health Sciences Center. A meeting of the board as a Committee of the Whole was held to receive a presentation by Chancellor Langenberg on campus planning. In the course of the meeting, the president also advised the board of current discussions with the Kellogg Foundation which has convened a number of universities to undertake planning to estimate opportunities for dealing with urban problems in education, health, and other areas. Larry Nucci, associate professor and coordinator of academic programs in the College of Education at Chicago, emphasized the opportunity for an expansion and extension of the role of the land-grant university to assume leadership in this area. T h e board reconvened in regular session at 9 : 5 0 a.m. Appointment of a Chancellor, Urbana (1) It is my pleasure to recommend to the Board of Trustees the appointment of Morton W. Weir, presently interim chancellor and vice president for academic affairs, as chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus effective immediately. The appointment is on a twelve-month basis at the present annual salary. Dr. Weir will continue to hold an appointment as professor of psychology on indefinite tenure. I am pleased to have been able to persuade Dr. Weir to accept the chancellorship of the Urbana-Champaign campus on a continuing basis. These are not easy times for the University of Illinois. We need strong leadership in the chancellor's office; a person of unquestioned integrity; one who understands the academic values of the campus and has a clear vision of where we are headed and what we can become in the years ahead. I believe Dr. Weir exemplifies these qualities. The search for a new chancellor was as careful and comprehensive as any I have seen. The committee worked from coast to coast to bring us as many attractive options as possible. In the end, I believe Dr. Weir not only has the