Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1944 [PAGE 117]

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BOARD OF T R U S T E E S

[October 17

Alumni Association, the University of Illinois Foundation, and a number of Boards and Committees, while at the same time subjecting you to the rigors of the State Legislative Sessions and other public contacts required of the President of any large state university. The present organization does not recognize that the University has the three key university functions of education and research, business, and public relations, and consequently does not provide strong administrative leadership for each of them coordinated vinder your direction. T o correct this basic difficulty, it is necessary to change the plan of organization. T o accomplish this purpose we have presented in this report a fully developed plan of organization. T h e proposed plan reduces from twenty-eight to four the number of key administrators reporting to the President. It provides for a Vice President of Education and Research, a Business Manager, a Vice President of Public Relations, and the Executive Dean of the Chicago Colleges. I t gives to the Vice President of Public Relations the task of handling the three associated activities. It gives to each, under your broad guidance, complete authority and responsibility for supplying stimulating leadership to the activities carried on in his area. By giving the Business Manager complete supervision over all the work now performed by both the Comptroller and the Physical Plant Departments, as well as functional supervision over all other University business activities, it provides for the most effective handling of the business functions and relieves the President of this difficult coordinating job. This plan relieves both the Board and you of many detailed operating decisions to the point where your combined attention can be devoted to the broad policy problems of the country's fifth largest university. This integration, coordination, and simplification of top organization structure permits further simplification, streamlining, and pulling together of related functions in the lower strata of the organization. It eliminates areas of doubt and conflict. By so doing, it eliminates the need for the University's cumbersome time-consuming system of committees. It places necessary University responsibilities in the hands of individual administrators charged with performing them competently, so that the University can expect to get 100 cents' worth of value for each dollar expended. In addition, the report recommends broad improvements in eleven of the University's bvisiness methods and procedures. While the purpose of this survey has been to increase the University's effectiveness rather than save money, the benefits of the proposed program can be obtained at no greater cost and, if properly administered, at an estimated $50,000 annual savings. It is our considered opinion that by supporting the proposed program you can make a genuinely worthwhile contribvition to the University's long-time future. The proposed organization plan is needed particularly at this time to equip the University with leadership and give it flexibility to meet the needs of the war and post-war periods. The success of the proposed plan, once adopted, will depend upon the judgment with which personnel is selected and assigned to the organization's key positions. Although certain positions will require new people, by and large the new organization can be manned effectively by present personnel. W e wish to thank you for the manner in which you and your office facilitated our contacts with your administrative staff and the manner in which you made your own time available. Very truly yours,

Booz, F R Y , ALLEN, & HAMILTON

3. A d m i n i s t r a t i v e R e v i e w of t h e F i n a l R e p o r t

I. INTRODUCTION

T h e final Report on the "Survey," comprising 8 chapters, 244 pages, 14 charts, and an appendix of 7 pages, but with almost no supporting evidence, was delivered to the President of the University on August 17. This was the first definite information received as to the discoveries, proposals, and recommenda-