Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1950 [PAGE 1082]

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U N I V E R S I T Y OF

ILLINOIS

I073

3. The President of the University be authorized to make such adjustments in the operating budget as may be necessary to activate the program.

On motion of Mr. Herrick, these recommendations were adopted, by the following vote: Aye, Mr. Fornof, Mr. Herrick, Mr. Hickman, Mrs. Holt, Mr. Livingston, Mr. McLaughlin, Dr. Meyer, Mr. Nickell, Mrs. Watkins, Mr. Williamson; no, none; not voting, Governor Stevenson.

CHANGES IN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP AWARDS (9) The Dean of the Graduate College presents two recommendations: Illinois College Fellowship Plan Since 1908 each of several liberal arts colleges in Illinois has annually been invited to nominate an outstanding senior student as a candidate for a first-year fellowship in the Graduate College at the University of Illinois. Since 1935 these candidates have been on a basis of equal competition with all other applicants; provided that candidates from Illinois colleges whose qualifications are equivalent to those of applicants from institutions outside the state have been given preference in the assignment of scholarships; and provided further that nominees from Illinois colleges who fail in the competition have been awarded scholarships without stipends which carry exemption from tuition, incidental, and laboratory fees. The Dean of the Graduate College reports that competition among fellowship candidates in general has not, until recent years, been so keen as to exclude from awards more than a few Illinois college nominees. The number of these college nominees who compete successfully with applicants from other institutions has been diminishing to such an extent that the Dean of the Graduate College feels the plan should be reviewed. The plan becomes meaningless when colleges are invited to nominate candidates only to learn that their candidates fail to win awards. However, if the University gave fellowships automatically to candidates on nomination by the colleges, the University would be unfair to other students who are more deserving of fellowship awards. The Dean, therefore, recommends that the Illinois college nominee plan be discontinued. This does not mean that graduates of Illinois colleges will be eliminated from consideration; they may apply and compete for fellowships along with graduates from other institutions. Stipends of Post-doctoral and Nonresident Fellowships Since 1948 the University has been awarding special post-doctoral and nonresident fellowships carrying stipends of $2,400 a year. This is the lower range of beginning salaries of instructors who have just received their Ph.D. degrees. The general level of stipends of post-doctoral fellowships offered by the National Research Council, the United States Public Health Service, the Atomic Energy Commission, and other agencies is in the range of $3,000 to $3,600 a year. This means that the University, with its present scale, is at a disadvantage in competing for the best talent. The Dean, therefore, recommends that the maximum stipend for special post-doctoral fellowships and for nonresident fellowships be increased from $2,400 a year to $3,000 a year, with the understanding ( a ) that the conditions of award remain as originally specified by the Board of Trustees on February 21, 1948, and (b) that smaller stipends will be granted when this is desirable in view of the circumstances of any particular case. I concur in these recommendations.

On motion of Dr. Meyer, these recommendations were adopted.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE AT THE CHICAGO UNDERGRADUATE DIVISION (10) A Student Activities fee of $4 a semester is charged each student at the Chicago Undergraduate Division. This is to finance student activities programs, including intercollegiate and intramural athletics. The fee covers admission to all home athletic contests.