Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1968 [PAGE 510]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

458

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[March 14

Report Concerning the Biennial Operating Budget for 1967-69 On February 9, the Board of Trustees received a report from this Committee which indicated that the Committee would continue to explore methods of meeting the urgent financial requirements of the Research and Educational Hospitals in the 1967-69 biennium. The University had requested a biennial increase of $1,901,000, all of which would be provided by the additional income of the Hospitals, and the Board of Higher Education had approved $738,800. Historically, the income earned by the Hospitals has constituted such a small percentage of the total operating costs of the Hospitals that the income has been treated as general income in support of the total University budget. Over the years, this income from the Hospitals has continued to increase and will increase further under the new federal insurance programs. In view of the higher percentage of income to be realized, it is proper under existing laws to change the method of accounting for this income and to treat it on a revolving fund basis, to be used to support the Hospitals' operations. By changing to this method of accounting, which is possible under existing law, the Hospitals will secure the benefits of any income which might be earned. To the extent that income is greater than estimated, the reductions made by the State Board of Higher Education can, in effect, be restored. It is therefore recommended that the method of accounting for income from the Research and Educational Hospitals be modified so that such income will be treated as a revolving fund, available for expenditure for the Hospitals' operation, and that the total estimated Hospital income of $5,025,000 for the biennium be subtracted from the University Income Fund appropriations requests which the Board of Higher Education has approved.

The report was unanimously adopted. RECESS AND EXECUTIVE SESSION President Johnston stated that an executive session had been requested and was being ordered for consideration of business relating to patentable discoveries. On motion of Mr. Swain, the Board recessed for five minutes. The following recommendation from the President of the University was presented and considered.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY PATENT COMMITTEE (25) The University Patent Committee, with the concurrence of the Chairman of the University Research Board, submits the following reports and recommendations relating to patentable inventions by members of the staff. 1. Gaseous switching array and flat matrix displays for computer controlled automatic teaching systems and nine related inventions — Donald L. Bitzer, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Research Associate Professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory, Robert H . Willson, formerly Research Assistant in the Coordinated Science Laboratory, and H . Gene Slottow, Senior Research Engineer in the Coordinated Science Laboratory, inventors; developed under a contract with the Department of the Army. A recommendation of the University Patent Committee that the University rights in the invention titled "Gaseous Switching Array and Flat Matrix Displays for Computer Controlled Automatic Teaching Systems" be assigned, subject to the rights of the United States Army, to the University of Illinois Foundation for study and possible patent application was approved by the Patent Committee of the Board of Trustees on July 21, 1965. The present recommendation concerns the fundamental invention and nine additional inventions which relate to and are associated with it. Four of this latter group were developed with the resources of the Coordinated Science Laboratory, and the University of Illinois has the rights to them as it has to the fundamental invention. The remaining five inventions were conceived without the use of resources or facilities of the L'niversity, and it is the opinion of the University Patent Committee that the University has no claim to them. However, Professor Bitzer and his associates are prepared to assign their rights in the five inventions to