Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1986 [PAGE 26]

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1984]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

15

Sabbatical Leave of Absence, 1984-85

(22) On motion of Mr. Howard, one sabbatical leave of absence recommended by the chancellor at Urbana-Champaign was granted. This leave will be included in an annual compilation of 1984-85 sabbatical leaves of absence to be made a part of the board Proceedings.

Organization of the Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chicago

(23) Under Article IV, Sec. 4, of the University of Illinois Statutes, members of a department who hold the rank of assistant professor and above may vote to change the form of organization of the department. The result of the vote must be transmitted to the chancellor by the dean along with his recommendation. The chancellor must then, if the vote favors a change, transmit this recommendation to the president for recommendation to the board. The faculty of the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the Chicago campus has voted 34 to 17 in favor of a change from the present headship organization to a chairperson organization. The dean of the college has indicated that the department has made significant progress in recent years under the headship form of organization and that strong leadership is needed to ensure and continue this progress. In his judgment, no significant argument has been made for making a change at this time; rather, in a large diverse department of this type, it is more likely that such a change would intensify divisiveness and instability. Accordingly, the dean has transmitted the result of the vote to the chancellor with his recommendation that the organization not be changed. The vice chancellor for academic affairs and the chancellor at Chicago concur in the dean's recommendation, as does the vice president for academic affairs. I recommend that the organization of the Department of English at Chicago not be changed. At the request of Chancellor Langenberg, Professor Gene Ruoff, of the Department of English at Chicago, asked to speak briefly. He complained that he, and possibly other members of department, had not known that the recommendation would be on the July agenda of the board. Dean Dwinger reviewed the calendar of his involvement, as did the chancellor, and the various communications between the acting department head and senior administrators. Mr. Logan, indicating his belief that the reasons for the recommendation were not comprehensive and that it would not be a serious problem to defer the matter, moved that the recommendation be deferred until September or until fuller communication might be undertaken. In the course of discussion, it was not clear that such deferral was being requested by Professor Ruoff. Mr. Logan expressed his view that the testimony received was somewhat contradictory and withdrew his motion.

Mr. Stone moved that the recommendation of the administration be approved, and it was approved without dissent. Senior Citizens Tuition Waiver Act (Report for Information)

(24) Illinois Public Act 83-850, an act to provide tuition-free credit courses1 for senior citizens attending public institutions of higher education, became effective July 1, 1984. In accord with the act, persons 65 or over who meet the household income requirement (not to exceed $12,000) and are accepted for admission may "enroll without the payment of tuition in regularly scheduled courses, provided

1 Persons 65 or older who do not desire credit may have the visitor's fee waived under a provision approved for the Urbana-Champaign campus by the Board of Trustees on December 15, 1976. A similar proposal for the Chicago campus follows this report. Thus, senior citixens who wish to "audit" a course, rather than take courses lor credit, may do so without charge.