Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1970 [PAGE 847]

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1970]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

847

the purpose of providing financial aid funds for needy students. T h e proposal was based on a referendum conducted by the students at Urbana, in which the students agreed to assess themselves in the amount indicated, and provided for the refunding of the assessment to those students who desired it. An implication of the referendum was the principle of having the assessment matched by the General Assembly. Accordingly, in approving the creation of the separate fund in February, the Trustees also approved the immediate submission to the State Board of Higher Education of a request for a supplement budget increase of approximately $75,000 to match the funds anticipated through the assessment. The University request was considered at the March 3 meeting of the Board of Higher Education. The action of that Board was as follows: "To receive this report from the University of Illinois and direct the staff to develop in conjunction with the staff of the Illinois Scholarship Commission a statewide policy on this type of question and report back its recommendations to the Board at the April 7, 1970, meeting." It appears that the development of a specific plan for implementation, and formal action upon it by the Board of Trustees, should now await the forthcoming action of the Board of Higher Education in April. T h e Administrative Officers will have a further report or recommendations at the April meeting of the Board of Trustees.

On motion of Mr. Grimes, this report was received for record.

CONSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE RELATED TO HIGHER EDUCATION (3) The subject of constitutional language related to higher education is now before the Education Committee of the Illinois Constitutional Convention. Among the recommendations made to the Committee has been a report developed by a committee advisory to the Illinois Board of Higher Education and on which the several systems of higher education, including the University of Illinois, are represented. 1 The committee report was adopted by the Board of Higher Education on March 3, 1970. (The full text of the report is filed with the Secretary of the Board.) In brief, the report recommends that minimal language be included in the new Constitution, to provide that: The General Assembly shall establish and support such public institutions of higher education as may be desirable. It is my view, and that of the other officers of the University, that this general statement is sufficient for constitutional purposes and that further references to higher education should, as a matter of public policy, be left to the General Assembly. From consultations with individual Trustees I understand that this is their view as well. Accordingly, the President and other University officers have presented this position to various bodies considering the subject: the Illinois Joint Council on Higher Education, the Advisory Committee to the Board of Higher Education, hearings of the Education Committee, and regional hearings of the Constitutional Convention. It is timely that the Board of Trustees now take official action to record the University's position on this subject. Therefore, I recommend that the Trustees endorse the report adopted by the Board of Higher Education with respect to constitutional language on higher education.

On motion of Mr. Swain, this recommendation was approved. Mr. Page asked to be recorded as not voting.

BUDGET FOR 1 9 7 0 SUMMER QUARTER A N D FACULTY APPOINTMENTS, MEDICAL CENTER CAMPUS (4) Submitted herewith are the budget and appointments to the faculty for the 1970 summer quarter at the Medical Center campus from June 22 through September 5, 1970. The total budget is for salaries in the amount of $23,755. The projected enrollment for the summer of 1970 is 1,207, an increase of 108 over the 1969 summer quarter.

1

The University representative to the committee is Vice President Eldon Johnson.