Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1942 [PAGE 183]

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180

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[February 21

MATTERS PRESENTED BY PRESIDENT WILLARD

The Board considered the following matters presented by the President of the University.

BIENNIAL BUDGET FOR 1 9 4 1 - 1 9 4 3 ( i ) The following letter has been received from the Governor of Illinois: January 28, 1941 Dr. Arthur C. Willard President, University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois

M Y DEAR DOCTOR W I L L A R D :

Your budget estimates for the biennium beginning July 1, 1941, were submitted to the Department of Finance as required by law, and were incorporated in the Provisional Budget included in Governor Stelle's message to the General Assembly. The statute provides that the Governor shall as soon as possible and not later than four weeks after the organization of the General Assembly submit a State budget embracing therein the amounts recommended by him to be appropriated to the respective departments, offices and institutions, and for all other public purposes, the estimated revenues from taxation, the estimated revenues from sources other than taxation, and an estimate of the amount required to be raised by taxation. It is suggested that you review the itemized budget previously submitted, and discuss with me any revisions which you wish to recommend. Sincerely yours,

DWIGHT H. GREEN

Governor Subsequently the Governor's Secretary has advised that the Illinois Budgetary Commission will meet at the Executive Mansion on February 24 at 8:30 p.m. to discuss with representatives of the University questions involving its budget for 1941-1943, and that the Governor expects to be present at this meeting. I have replied that University representatives will meet with the Governor and the Commission at the appointed time. In accordance with the Governor's request, the President of the University and his advisers have been reviewing the biennial budget for 1941-1943 as approved by the Board of Trustees on October 21, 1940 (Minutes, pages 100-102), and submitted to the State Department of Finance. A report of this review will be presented to the Board at this meeting for its instructions to the President in discussing the University budget with the Governor and the Budgetary Commission. When a biennial budget has been adopted by the Board of Trustees no officer of the institution has authority to make or agree to any changes therein except on specific instructions from the Board. T h e University Council 1 at a meeting on February 18 was also asked to consider any revisions in the budget which, in its judgment, should be recommended to the Board of Trustees in the light of developments since its previous recommendations were submitted last fall. It was the unanimous opinion of the Council that the budget, as approved by the Board of Trustees on October 21, 1940, is not only a minimum budget but that it is now actually inadequate in the light of certain developments within recent months. These include such factors as higher salaries which must be paid in filling vacancies and in retaining personnel in the face of competition for their services by industries and the Federal Government, increased costs of supplies and materials, and the probability of an increase in enrollment during the next biennium. (This estimate of enrollment is based on significant increases in high school enrollments, which data were not available when the President and the University Council submitted their original recommendations to the Board of Trustees in October.)

1 The Council consists of the President, the Provost, the Deans of the Colleges, the Directors of the Schools, the Director of the Library, the Director of University Extension, and three representatives elected by the University Senate or general faculty. The Council acts in the capacity of advisor to the President and meets on his call. The President is required, under University Statutes, to secure the Council's recommendations, assisted by the Comptroller and the Director of the Physical Plant Department, in the preparation of annual and biennial budgets.