Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1982 [PAGE 325]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[July 16

Report on Other Matters

President Ikenberry made the following comments:

I want to begin today by giving you a brief update on the recent legislative session and the status of several bills of special importance to the University of Illinois that now reside on the governor's desk. The recently concluded session of the Illinois General Assembly was a hectic one dominated by three major issues: a deepening state fiscal crisis; reapportionment of the state's congressional and legislative districts; and, the threatened shutdown of mass transportation in northeastern Illinois. Despite the preoccupation with these important issues, I am pleased to report to you that attention was given to a number of matters of keen interest to the University. The legislature approved and sent to the governor appropriation bills which give higher education a preferred priority when compared to the operating increases for other sectors of the state budget. We are indebted to Senator Stanley Weaver and Representative Virgil Wikoff for shepherding through our operating appropriation bill and to the governor for his commitment. The appropriation will permit us to proceed with our overall fiscal plan for FY 1982, including improved faculty-staff compensation. A special satisfaction was achievement of the long-sought support for construction of the sixth stack addition to the University Library at Urbana-Champaign, part of the capital budget now before the governor. With his approval, we can begin construction this year. T h e facility is urgently needed if we are to house the University's important collections and continue to serve as a major resource for libraries throughout Illinois. Several other bills of interest to us were also approved and sent to the governor: 1. O u r "patents bill" permitting the University to retain patent income in its own treasury and thereby transfer patent administration from the foundation to the University; 2. Permanent authorization for our self-insurance programs; 3. Authorization for a special game in the State Lottery, the proceeds of which would be dedicated to support intercollegiate athletics at Urbana-Champaign; 4. T h e creation of a special fund in the State treasury to support research on real estate issues at the University of Illinois. This legislation was drafted and presented by the Illinois Association of Realtors and is an excellent example of a business-University cooperation. In all, it was a difficult but productive legislative session, and I extend to Dr. Brady, Mr. Baker, Mr. Olien, and others our appreciation. Illinois State Scholarship Commission Related to the general fiscal situation is the fiscal short-fall in the Illinois State Scholarship Commission. A bill is now on the governor's desk which would provide the additional $3 million necessary to cover scholarship grants made by the commission during FY 8 1 . Whether the governor will be able to sign it, however, is uncertain at best given the strained fiscal condition of the state. If additional monies are not made available to ISSC, as is likely, it will be necessary for the University of Illinois and other universities and colleges in this state to collect from students the related tuition and fee payments that would have been covered by the ISSC grants. If it is necessary to collect these monies from students, the question has arisen as to what we intend to do if some students have not made payment by the time of fall registration. Having considered the issue, we intend to suspend temporarily the application of our normal policy of encumbering the registration of such students. T h e policy, however, will be applied in the normal fashion in subsequent terms. In short, we are proposing to grant a grace period of one term or semester to settle accounts.