Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1976 [PAGE 211]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[March 19

SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS Election of a Temporary Chairman T h e Board took u p the special order of business for the annual meeting. T h e Secretary of the Board asked for nominations for a temporary chairman to conduct the election of the President of the Board. Mr. Howard nominated Mr. Forsyth; there were no further nominations, and Mr. Forsyth was unanimously elected and took the chair. ELECTION OF OFFICERS President of the Board Mr. Forsyth called for nominations for President of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Howard nominated Mr. Earl L. Neal. Mr. Livingston moved that t h e nominations be closed and that the Secretary cast a unanimous ballot of the Board in favor of Mr. Neal as President. T h e ballot was so cast, and M r . Neal was declared elected President of the Board, to serve until the next annual meeting of the Board in M a r c h 1976, or until his successor shall have been elected. Mr. Neal took the chair and made the following remarks: This great honor I accept with extreme gratitude to you, my colleagues. We are all grateful for the opportunity that the people of Illinois have given to each of us to serve not only the young leaders of our society — students, but also the opportunity to enrich one's own intellectual being through the association with men who are leaders in higher education — Jack Corbally, Jack Peltason, Joe Begando, Warren Cheston. Some have said that there is no pay for this service — I disagree. There is compensation, perhaps not in the medium of the day, but pay nevertheless, in terms of self-satisfaction and in the opportunity to participate in the publicgovernmental processes of higher education. The viewpoint that I hold is that higher education of the young is, indeed, a public process. The State of Illinois does, as it must, recognize the University of Illinois, not only in terms of brick and mortar, but in terms of the academic development, in terms of the young men and women who attend. They are our greatest asset, our hope for tomorrow. The state and all citizens must willingly meet the financial obligation to render, develop, and provide that opportunity for each person to find that necessary peace that only wisdom can provide. Not only is this meaningful to the person and his family, but meaningful "to society for it is his obligation to make our society a better place for all. I welcome the enthusiasm of the young, the demand for change, the idealistic philosophy of life as it should be and, we hope, as it will be. Rather than a structured text, let us think together of the goals and perspectives that we see facing the University for the coming year, for example, the effect of the down-spiralling economy; it is basic that families will give to their children the greatest opportunity to develop their skills, but families of Illinois will look to their home state to provide the opportunity for quality education at an acceptable cost level. The State must look to expanded funding to meet this essential need of its citizens. Enrollment will increase at the University of Illinois so long as we maintain our high quality and our philosophy of education for all state citizens. The high cost of medical services is of major concern to our society. Inextricably bound are the training costs and production of quality doctors, persons of the