Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1978 [PAGE 512]

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1978]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

499

Where are we going in 1978? Some folks take comfort in making New Year's resolutions. I find that our problems and concerns are not unique to us — they affect all higher education in some degree — and there seem to be no unique, new problems on the horizon. We'll be placing special emphasis in many of the same areas. Of primary importance are people. We have welcomed Peter Yankwich, Bill Gerberding, David Landman, and Dick Ward, among others, to major administrative positions. We have several key positions still to fill. In a larger context, attracting and retaining excellence in administration, staff, and faculty is one of our highest priorities. And, of course, the purpose for having that excellence is to provide the finest available teaching for our students, and research and public service for the whole state. Next in importance is money — a commodity essential to maintaining quality. We on this board have given unstintingly of our time and attention to policy decisions affecting budgets and appropriations and will do so again this year. Third, we will continue to work toward our professed and proper goals in affirmative action and equal opportunity. These goals are not easy to attain. No other university has solved the problems in this area, but we believe we're making headway and will improve our performance in this most difficult, complex area. And we will also react to and better serve a changing student body. All over the country, enrollments are shifting toward older average ages, and toward higher percentages of women. The legitimate needs and expectations of our students do not remain static, and we must, therefore, remain flexible enough to serve those needs and expectations with continued quality education. In the area of capital budgets, the board has determined that maintenance and renovation will have increasing priority for future capital dollars. We will work even harder to preserve and utilize the assets we have in times when new capital projects will be hard to fund. As a board, we have worked diligently to improve communications among ourselves and our many constituencies — administration, staff, faculty, students, the public. Through these means we can better understand the problems and great strengths of this University. We will continue to improve these bridges to understanding. Each year I serve as trustee, I am more impressed with the strength, capacity, and diversity of the University of Illinois. It is a privilege to act as a trustee, to serve the people of this state in governance of this major public resource. As your president, I can only pledge to work with you toward meeting our mutual goals in helping to maintain the excellence of the University. M r . Howard, at this point, announced that, as has been the case during the present year, Mr. Forsyth will serve as the alternate representative to the meetings of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Mrs. R a d e r will represent the trustees in meetings of the board of the Alumni Association. Executive Committee M r . Howard called for nominations for the members of the Executive Committee. M r . Neal nominated M r . William D . Forsyth, Jr., and M r . Livingston nominated Mrs. J a n e Hayes R a d e r to serve as members of the Executive Committee, with the president of the board as chairman. O n motion of Mrs. Shepherd, t h e nominations were closed, and the secretary was instructed t o cast a unanimous ballot of the board for the