Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1946 [PAGE 385]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[February 24

A special appropriation would be necessary within the 1945-1947 biennium. T h e item is not specifically included in the present biennial budget.

On motion of Mr. Davis, the President of the University was authorized to indicate the willingness of the Board to assume a share of the cost of this project.

LABORATORY SCHOOLS BUILDING (22) T h e University's post-war building program includes an item of $791,000 for the construction of a first unit of a laboratory schools building. At the meeting of the Board on January 20, 1045, it was suggested that consideration be given to including this project in the schedule of construction for the first post-war biennium instead of in the third biennium as recommended by the University Building P r o g r a m Committee and approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on July 13, 1944, when the post-war building program was approved for presentation to the Illinois P o s t - W a r Planning Commission. T h e Building P r o g r a m Committee has reconsidered the status of this project and has submitted the following report: In the Committee's report to the June 22, 1944, meeting of the Board of Trustees, this building was included in the third post-war biennium of the Construction Schedule for Preferred Projects on the Urbana Campus. T h e Building was not included in the September 18, 1944, program for the first post-war biennium recommended by the Building Program Committee, on the basis of the relative effectiveness of projects in contributing to "health, safety and veterans' care," which were the criteria adopted by the Post-War Planning Commission for judging projects to be included in that program. The program recommended by the Committee was adopted by the Board of Trustees on September 29, 1044, after adding the Health and Physical Education Building. On October 16, 1944, the chairman of the Committee reported to the University Council on the program for the first post-war biennium which had been adopted by the Board of Trustees. H e gave a complete list of the projects included. T h e Committee recognizes that practically all of the "Preferred" projects proposed, including the Laboratory Schools Building, would contribute to "health, safety and veterans' care." However, the P o s t - W a r Planning Commission limited the size of the program for the first post-war biennium. It was necessary, therefore, to make selections on the basis of the relative effectiveness of each project. In doing so, the relation between the cost of the project and the contribution it would make in providing for "health, safety and veterans' care" in the immediate post-war period was considered. On this basis, the Building Program Committee unanimously adopted the program for the first post-war biennium which was presented to the Trustees at its meeting on September 29. At the meeting of the Committee held on January 11, 1945, Dean Benner, Professor Webber, Professor Sanford, and Mr. Allen presented arguments for including the building in the program for the first post-war biennium. These are given in the accompanying letter, dated January 2, 1945, from Dean Benner to the chairman of the Committee. At a meeting held on February 7, the Committee unanimously reaffirmed the program it had previously recommended for the first post-war biennium. It is quite possible that conditions will develop after the war which will make it desirable to give the first unit of the Laboratory Schools Building a better priority than was given in the Committee's report at the June 22 meeting of the Board of Trustees, but the Building P r o g r a m Committee is still certain that this building should not displace any building included in the Committee's recommendations for the first post-war biennium. Also, the Committee is certain that it would be futile to attempt to add the Laboratory Schools Building or any other building to the list adopted by the Board of Trustees on September 29,1944. I concur in the report of the Committee. T h e Dean of the College of Education has suggested that a hearing be granted to representatives of public education in Illinois at which they may present arguments for including the laboratory schools project in the University's building program for the first post-war biennium.

The President asked the Provost, who is a member of the Build-