Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1976 [PAGE 431]

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420

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[October 15

Whereas the general administration, campus administrations, faculties, and staff of the University of Illinois have received copies of such draft only recently for their study and review; and Whereas members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois have now received copies of such preliminary draft, but there has been insufficient time for analyses to be presented to the Board of Trustees or for the Board to have studied such draft; and Whereas the Board of Trustees believes that major portions of the draft document should be changed or deleted, but the Board wishes to become fully informed about the initial draft and to advise the Board of Higher Education of our position in detail, in a spirit of cooperation and collective endeavor, so that higher education in Illinois may be enhanced to the greater welfare of the people of this State: Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois as follows: 1. T h e administrations, faculties, and staff of the University of Illinois are hereby requested to prepare and deliver to this Board an analysis of the preliminary draft of Master Plan Phase IV no later than November 19, 1975, the next meeting of this Board. 2. The Board of Trustees does not wish to delay final consideration of Master Plan Phase IV by the Board of Higher Education. However, the Trustees are aware and firmly believe that the coordinating and planning functions of the Board of Higher Education can best be exercised in cooperation and conjunction with the governing boards of the five systems, which have the duty and responsibility for operating all institutions of public higher education. I n keeping with such a spirit of mutual concern and consultation, the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois will adopt its official position on Master Plan Phase I V on November 19, 1975, for transmittal to and review by the Board of Higher Education prior to its meeting of December 2, 1975. 3. In view of the time considerations herein referred to, the Board of Higher Education is requested to take no action upon the present initial draft of Master Plan Phase IV until it shall have received the official position of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and of the governing boards of the other systems. 4. The Board of Trustees would initially comment that the tone and viewpoint of the present draft do not recognize or envision a cooperative endeavor by a coordinating board with five governing boards and fails to speak clearly to the needs of this State which higher education can and should meet. T h e Board believes that substantial revisions of the initial draft are essential to properly and positively reflect the appropriate roles of coordinating and governing boards and the spirit of cooperation necessary to an effective system of higher education. The Board of Trustees would further report in emphatic terms its preliminary concerns in the following areas: 1. In the area of financing of higher education, the draft fails to identify the needs of this State which higher education can and should meet. The attitude expressed in this area is one of defeatism, rather than one of creative concern and support for essential public services by higher education. T h e Board of Trustees further believes that the recommendations for tuition increases are not founded upon convincing rationales as to levels of tuition, fail to recognize the substantial increases imposed by governing boards for student fees and for housing, and are contrary to the general philosophy of this State that tuition should be kept as low as possible. T h e tuition recommendations are further made at a time when there is little or no support for such increases among governing boards, at the State level, or with the public. 2. T h e recommendations contained in Chapter 7 for Institutions require substantial