Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1972 [PAGE 399]

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1971]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

389

quotations received, was sent to each member of the Board in advance of the meeting, and a copy is being filed with the Secretary of the Board for record. O n motion of M r . Swain, the purchases authorized by the President were confirmed, and t h e purchases recommended were authorized.

COMPTROLLER'S REPORT O F PURCHASES APPROVED

(19) The Vice President and Comptroller also submitted a report of purchases approved by him on recommendation of the Directors of Purchases in amounts of $5,000 to $7,500. A copy of this report is filed with the Secretary. This report was received for record. The business of the meeting having been completed, on motion of Mr. Swain, the Executive Committee adjourned.

EARL W. PORTER ROGER B. POGUE TIMOTHY W. SWAIN EARL M. HUGHES, Chairman

Secretary and Clerk On motion of Mr. Grimes, the Board ratified, approved, and confirmed all of the actions of the Executive Committee as reported.

BUSINESS PRESENTED BY T H E PRESIDENT OF T H E UNIVERSITY The Board considered the following reports and recommendations from the President of the University.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

President Corbally presented a report on selected topics of current interest, copies of which were distributed at the meeting, and a copy was filed with the Secretary of the Board. The President also presented the following statement for the information of the Trustees: On September 8, 1971, the State Board of Higher Education approved certain recommendations of its Executive Director 1related to thefinancing^of public higher education in Illinois for fiscal year 1972. Following that meeting of the State Board, we have been asked a number of times to indicate publicly the position of the University of Illinois with regard to those recommendations. The administration has stated and will continue to state until advised otherwise by this Board that the University of Illinois's position was established on July 21, 1971," and we will govern our actions within this stated position.

1 On September 8 the Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the following recommendations as proposed by the Executive Director: We urge the Board to recommend to the governing systems that, with the exception of the tuition question, they accept the figures currently in effect, that they make no further attempts to restore budgetary reductions, and that they continue to plan for the remainder of the fiscal year. We also recommend that the Board ask those systems which have not already adopted the tuition increases originally proposed in December, 1970, to do so at the earliest possible date, effective at the conclusion of the wage-price freeze, and that the systems join the Board in urging the General Assembly to appropriate them in this fiscal year. 3 On July 21 the Board of Trustees approved the following recommendations of the President or the University: A. That the Board of Trustees urge the General Assembly to rescind the Governor's net reduction of $5,839,672 in the "Personal Services" item of Section 1 of Senate Bill 717. This amount would then be available for general salary and wage increases. Other reductions made by the Governor will have serious impact upon University operations — especially in view of intractable price increases — but the loss of personal-services funds is far more critical. B. The decision as to whether there will be a tuition increase will be deferred until after the General Assembly has decided whether or not it supports the Governor's position that a tuition increase should be imposed and that a deficiency appropriation making the money available should be approved. C. That the Board of Trustees urge the General Assembly to restore the reductions in the item for retirement contributions — in the interest of the financial stability of the Universities Retirement System, the economic security of its future beneficiaries, and its comparative attractiveness to prospective faculty members.