RS.04.01
September 29, 2003

University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign Senate
Final;Action

RS.04.01 Endorsement of the Recommendation to Add a Seventh Goal to The Illinois Commitment.

Background: The Illinois Commitment, adopted by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in the late 1990's, established six goals for Illinois higher education:

• To help Illinois business and industry sustain strong economic growth
• To join elementary and secondary education to improve teaching and learning at all levels
• To ensure that no Illinois citizen is denied an opportunity for a college education due to financial need
• To increase the number and diversity of citizens completing training and education programs
• To hold students to even higher expectations for learning and be accountable for the quality of academic programs and the assessment of learning
• To continually improve productivity, cost-effectiveness, and accountability

Since its adoption The Illinois Commitment has become the basis for budget requests and allocations and for assessing colleges and universities. An extensive system of performance indicators to measure progress in achieving these goals is now being implemented.

The Faculty Advisory Council became very concerned that the six existing goals do not fully capture the ultimate goal of higher education that might be stated as "improving the quality of life of Illinois citizens." The six current goals contribute to but do not fully capture many aspects of that goal. An FAC position paper presented to the IBHE April 2, 2003 called for the addition of a seventh goal. Sixteen public, private, and community college faculties/senates have endorsed that call and others are considering such an endorsement as well.

The FAC believes that the addition of this goal is particularly timely in that higher education needs greater support from the public in this time of budget stringency. Providing a more complete statement of higher education's contributions to Illinois citizens should yield positive benefits including a fuller understanding of the value of higher education to every citizen, not just its students. A statement to be presented at the October IBHE meeting notes contributions in such areas as the arts, civic involvement, elementary and secondary school outreach, environmental awareness, global awareness, life-long learning and availability of information and expertise reaching far beyond the campuses.

Motion: That the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Senate endorse the Faculty Advisory Council's Recommendation that the Illinois Board of Higher Education add a seventh goal to The Illinois Commitment: "The collective efforts of Illinois colleges and universities will enhance and enrich the quality of life for all Illinois citizens."

Sen. Ken Andersen (LAS 23-1 05), Sponsor
Senate Representative to the FAC of the IBHE