Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1946 [PAGE 414]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1945]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

411

6. F u n d s now provided in the budget of the State Department of Agriculture for the Division of Pathology, $71,520 for the biennium, should be transferred to the University and added to the total. This work is done entirely in the University, and the Department of Finance has agreed to this transfer.

The Comptroller presented this matter. He commented on the proposals to provide increases of 15 or 10 per cent above present salaries for all State employees and stated that $439,000 of additional funds, or a total of $868,000 for the nonacademic staff outside the prevailingwage groups, would be needed for the biennium to place the University on a level with the State departments on this basis. During this presentation, President Livingston being called from the room for a time, Mr. Davis was in the chair. The Provost commented on the significance of the reduction of funds for the educational program, and stated that this meant an almost complete elimination of expanded programs and of contingent funds. The effect will be to eliminate all effort during this biennium to increase the distinction of the University. During the discussion, Mr. Davis and Mr. Nickell withdrew to keep an engagement with General Ulio, and President Willard withdrew to take a train for Washington. Except as otherwise indicated, Provost Griffith took over the presentation of recommendations of the President. After full discussion, the following actions were taken. On motion of Dr. Meyer, the following resolution was adopted:

Whereas, the Board of Trustees when it approved the amounts in the operating budget for salaries and wages for the biennium 1945-1947 was not informed of the policy of the State government to increase the salaries of all state employees by 15 per cent for salaries of $3,000 or less and by 10 per cent for salaries above $3,000 (which policy was widely announced very recently) ; and Whereas, the Board had not taken the possibility of such increases under consideration; and Whereas, it is the judgment of the Board of Trustees that the staff of the University should be kept on an equal basis with other employees of the State with respect to salaries; and Whereas, the records show that over a long period of years funds have not been provided to improve and to increase the distinction of the University but rather what might be called a deficit on the instructional and research sides of the University has accumulated from biennium to biennium, as the necessary amounts requested by the University have been eliminated to meet what was stated to be the financial stress of the S t a t e ; and Whereas, at the present time large surpluses have accumulated and are available to augment and improve the services rendered by the State in all branches; therefore be it Resolved, that the Board of Trustees hereby refers these matters to the President of the Board and the President and administration of the University with instructions to do all in their power to retain in the biennial budget the contingent fund of $200,000 and to provide additional funds to the extent of $439,000 for the biennium to match the salary increases contemplated in State departments, and to re-examine the need for funds to provide for the improvement and distinction of the University which have been so drastically reduced. O n m o t i o n of M r . W i l l i a m s o n , i t e m 2 a b o v e w a s a p p r o v e d . O n m o t i o n of M r . M c L a u g h l i n , t h e a c c e p t a n c e of f u n d s b y t r a n s fer of $ 7 1 , 5 2 0 f r o m t h e S t a t e D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l t u r e f o r t h e w o r k in A n i m a l P a t h o l o g y w a s a u t h o r i z e d , w i t h t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t t h i s is a n a d d i t i o n t o t h e t o t a l a n d t h a t n o c o m p e n s a t o r y d e d u c t i o n is t o be m a d e .