SC.00.12
March 20, 2000

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SENATE

Report of Board of Trustees Meeting, March 1-2, 2000, Urbana

All Trustees were present for both days with Trustee Engelbrecht presiding. The meeting began Wednesday afternoon with a series of committee reports. The first was the Committee on Buildings and Grounds where developers and architects presented plans for student housing at Springfield, and a medical research building in Chicago. Of particular interest to the Urbana campus was the presentation of a master plan and building design for the south campus research park. Also, Dean Chicoine from ACES presented a preliminary 5-phase (10 year) plan for moving the agricultural facilities on south campus south of Windsor Road. Projected costs are $200 million. The second committee report was the University Hospital and Clinics Committee where administrators from the Chicago campus reported on compliance issues and a quality assurance program for the UI Hospital and Clinic.

The scheduled agenda was interrupted with news that the Illinois House in Springfield was near voting on a bill (3rd reading) dealing with whether student trustees could vote, and if so, on what items. Legislators requested the Trustees position on the legislation. Considerable confusion reigned because the Trustees did not have the exact wording of the legislation, which contained several amendments. The Trustees eventually voted to oppose any change in the existing legislation and leave the current provisions intact. However, their advice came too late as the House approved a bill giving student trustees permanent vote except on issues of faculty promotion and tenure.

The proposed agenda resumed with Acting Vice President Gardner presenting a report on economic development of and the impact on the State, University and local communities from federal, state and private funds designated for information technology and biotechnology. Likely results of Illinois VentureTECH on the University are: Medical Imaging Facility at UIC, Advanced Chemical Technologies Lab at UIC, Pharmacy Lab Addition at UIC and Post Genomics Institute at UIUC, all in the area of biotechnology; NCSA Building and Microelectronics Lab Addition at UIUC, both in the area of information technology; and Illinois Ventures (start-up company services) and new company incubator facility at UIUC, both under the area of technology commercialization.

The Board went into Executive Session and later recessed for the evening.

The Board reconvened Thursday morning with Professor Stephen Kaufman making a short presentation concerning the issue of the Chief, given the recently released NCA report and the Board's scheduled public dialogue. The Board did not discuss his presentation.

Continuing with committee reports, Ron Guenther gave an oral report on the status of the UIUC Athletic Department for the Committee on Athletics. He emphasized integrity, cost, budget, gender equity and now the impact of technology. For the Committee on Finance and Audits, University financial officers presented a review of UI investments, inventory and endowments, investment portfolios and strategies, and performance results as of the end of 1999. They reported a very low management cost, and a real net investment return (after cost) on the total portfolio of 5.3% per year for the past 10 years.

Larry Smarr gave a status report of NCSA. Smarr will become the strategic adviser for the National Computational Science Alliance. Replacing him as director of the Alliance and NCSA will be Dan Reed, head of UIUC Computer Science Department, and Jim Bottum, now deputy director, becomes the executive director.

The Board reconvened to consider regular business items on its agenda. President Stukel announced several faculty awards. The Board passed on all items on its regular agenda and its roll call agenda. The Board discussed its own schedule of meetings, and will examine its own bylaws. During this session Trustee Reese noted that the UI Alumni Association will not present a position on the Chief at the April public hearing due to divided interests within the group. Trustee O'Malley moved, and the Board approved, an extension of the due date of the report from the Committee on the Status of Women from June 2000 to March 2001.

The meeting adjourned to reconvene as the sole member of the UI HMO when it approved an agreement, without discussion, with health care institutions.

The Board adjourned early and proceeded to the new south campus research park for a groundbreaking ceremony.

Submitted by Raymond Leuthold
Urbana-Champaign Observer