Minutes of the Meeting of the
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
of Northern Illinois University

April 17, 1996

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

The meeting was called to order by Chair Myron Siegel at 1:25 p.m. Recording Secretary Mimms conducted a roll call of Trustees. Present for the meeting were Trustees Robert Boey, Susan Grans, Willie Fowler, George Moser, James Myles, David Raymond, Manuel Sanchez and Chair Siegel. Having noted the presence of a quorum, the meeting proceeded.

VERIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Confirmation of Open Meetings Act notification compliance was given by Board Parliamentarian Ken Davidson.

MEETING AGENDA APPROVAL

Trustee Sanchez moved for approval of the Agenda. Trustee Grans seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Trustee Sanchez moved for approval of the Minutes of the January 17, 1996 meeting. Trustee Myles seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

REPORTS OF BOARD COMMITTEES AND BOARD LIAISONS

Executive Committee

Chair Siegel gave a brief report on the February 21 meeting of the Executive Committee. The committee approved a resolution authorizing the University's continuing affiliation with the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative (IPHEC) and authorized IPHEC to act on behalf of the Board in certain purchasing activities. The Board also approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police for implementation of the FY96 increments. Transitional procedures for administering and reporting on University personnel transactions were outlined by the University and approved by the committee for the Board. These procedures will be reflected in the Board's new Regulations when they are fully adopted by the Board later this year. The Board approved the President's recommendation for the initial funding of the liability self-insurance plan at a 95%+ level of confidence for the period January 31, 1996 through January 30, 1997.

The committee endorsed the concept of the University Advisory Committee (UAC) and recommended the full Board ratify this action subject to review of the committee's operation in 18 months.

Chair Siegel asked Dr. Larson, President of the University Council and a UAC representative, if things were working out with the University Advisory Committee. Dr. Larson responded that UAC is meeting on a regular basis and that the UAC liaisons to the BOT committees have reported back to the University Council and the Faculty Senate on the Board's very cordial treatment of them. UAC is reviewing the proposed new Board Regulations and will be offering advice to the Board on various aspects of that document.
Chair Siegel asked for a motion to ratify the Executive Committee's endorsement of the University Advisory Committee. Trustee Myles so moved; Trustee Grans seconded. The motion was approved.

Finally, Chair Siegel reported that the Executive Committee set the FY96 salary for the President of the University at $160,000, effective March 1, 1996, and directed the President to commence a study of NIU faculty and staff compensation for presentation to the Executive Committee. Administrative staff will be consulting with appropriate campus bodies.

Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee

Committee Chair Myles reported on the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee meeting of March 7. The committee reviewed sabbatical recommendations and recommendations for tenure and promotion of faculty. The committee's endorsements will be considered for action of the full Board through the President's Report. Several student leaders were introduced and spoke briefly to the committee. The next meeting of the AASAP Committee was set for May 16.

Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee

Committee Chair Boey reported on the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee meeting of February 27 at which the following items were reviewed and endorsed: FY97 busing contract; FY97 student health insurance contract; 1996-97 academic year tuition fees and room and board rates; College of Business delivery fee for the Rockford Education Center; and the Holmes Student Center remodeling project. These items were to be presented to the Board for approval in the President's Report. The committee also discussed a residence hall master plan to be presented at the May 29 meeting of the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee. It was recommended that the Trustees schedule tours of the residence halls in order to familiarize themselves with the facilities. It was also noted that security of residence halls is a top priority of the master plan.

The committee met again on April 17 and endorsed an additional funding request for the Altgeld Hall renovation and a lease agreement for Business and Industry Services. These items were to be presented to the Board for action in the President's Report. The committee also authorized appointment of a delegate from the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee to meet with the Audit Subcommittee of the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee.

Trustee Fowler asked for a brief update from Dr. Williams on the status of projects such as the recreation facility, the recycling facility, and computing facilities.

Dr. Williams gave a brief statement on the progress of various construction projects. Those identified by students as priorities for the coming fiscal year included a recycling center and additional recreation fields on the west campus. A preliminary report on these projects and the Phase 1 report of the residence hall improvement program were scheduled for the May 29 FFO Committee meeting.

Trustee Fowler and Chair Siegel urged student organization presidents who are interested in these projects and other facilities to attend the May 29 meeting.

Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee

Committee Chair George Moser reported on the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 19, at the Hoffman Estates Education Center. This was the Trustees' first official meeting at one of the University's off-campus centers. Trustee Raymond and several guests from Sears Corporate Offices attended as did State Representative Terry Parke, who sponsored legislation in the House to allow Northern Illinois University to hold a full Board meeting at either the NIU Hoffman Estates Education Center or the NIU Rockford Education Center.

The LAEA Committee received a report from Kathy Gilmer, Director of the NIU Hoffman Estates Education Center, who addressed the problematic delivery issues related to the Hoffman Estates campus and the fact that the Hoffman Estates Center has reached its enrollment capacity. Representative Parke asked that the Board consider expanding the Hoffman Estates Center, citing the tremendous needs that cannot be met without additional space at Hoffman Estates. Mary Rose Hennessy, Director of the Business Industry Services (BIS) program in Oakbrook, reported that the BIS program is financially strong and is actively developing relationships with diverse Illinois businesses throughout the state. BIS analyzes needs and provides training for companies at every level of the organization.

Committee Liaison Kathy Swanson presented an overview of pending legislation affecting higher education: House Bill 2836, which would allow local retention of university income funds; Representative Parke's bill, permitting Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees to hold Board meetings at the Hoffman Estates and Rockford centers; and Senator Weaver's gaming initiative, which allocated $25 million dollars from riverboat gaming proceeds to university athletic capital improvement funds.

Steve Cunningham, Director of Human Resource Services, presented an overview of pension legislation issues. Although several initiatives were currently under consideration in Springfield, little action was expected in this area until later in the year. Eddie Williams presented a report on the FY94 Compliance Audit, the findings of which had been fully addressed by the President and his staff. President La Tourette and Kathy Swanson met with the Legislative Audit Commission to explain the actions taken by the University to address the findings. The University anticipated approval of the audit at the Legislative Audit Commission's April 29 meeting in Springfield.

The LAEA Committee created an Audit Compliance Subcommittee to review audit findings on a regular basis. The Finance and Facilities Committee was invited to send a delegate to the subcommittee.

The meeting closed with a brief update from the NIU Public Radio Programming Task Force. Both WNIU and WNIJ have begun to take steps to address some of the committee's concerns. The committee indicated its understanding of the need to balance the public service function of WNIU/WNIJ with the need to enhance NIU's presence in the region.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT NO. 2

Agenda Item 6.a. - Personnel Transactions

President La Tourette introduced personnel transactions reviewed by the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee in its March 7 meeting. He noted the importance of the sabbatical leave program in keeping faculty up to date and in enhancing the quality of instruction for students.

Agenda Item 6.b. - Administrative Reorganization

In accordance with instructions from the Board, President La Tourette reviewed the administrative organization of the University, taking into account the shift from a multicampus system to a single university. The President has been given additional responsibilities for Board relations, legislative relations and fund raising. Dr. La Tourette reviewed his thinking about reorganization with the Executive Committee in Executive Session on February 21. He recommended a new Division of Academic and Student Affairs under an Executive Vice President and Provost; merging the Division of Business and Operations with the Division of Finance and Planning to create a new Division of Finance and Facilities under a Senior Vice President; and consolidating all other administrative support areas under a Vice President for Administration. President La Tourette asked the Board for approval of two new vice presidential titles - Executive Vice President and Provost, and Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities. These titles will replace the existing titles of Vice President and Provost and Vice President for Finance and Planning. Approval was also sought for the creation of a new vice presidential-level position, Vice President for Administration, and for the appointment of Dr. Anne Kaplan to that position. Associated with this change will be the elimination of the position of the Executive Assistant to the President for Administration and Human Resource Services. The president explained that the proposed organization will reduce the number of people reporting to him and allow him to assign responsibility to various teams to address the major business of the University. It will free the President's Office for support of the Board of Trustees and allow the president to engage more extensively in legislative relations and in the development of external funding for the University.

Agenda Item 6.c. - Financial Transactions

President La Tourette recommended approval of the actions reviewed by the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee at its meetings on February 27 and April 17. These included a busing contract for the operation of the student-supported bus system at a slight reduction in the cost and a recommendation for a new health insurance contract with improved benefits for students. Dr. La Tourette congratulated the students on the continued operation of a very successful bus system which has the second largest ridership in the state of Illinois, second only to the Chicago Transit Authority.

Following previous action of the Board of Regents, the president recommended a 5.75% general tuition increase and an 8.43% tuition increase for the College of Law for the 1996-97 academic year. An increase of approximately 4.48% was recommended in fees and room and board rates. Recommendation was also made for the establishment of a $137 per credit hour College of Business delivery fee for M.B.A. courses at the Rockford Education Center.

The President recommended a budget of $422,900 for the Holmes Student Center Bookstore remodeling project. Additional funding was recommended for professional work related to the renovation of Altgeld Hall, including architectural and engineering work on asbestos abatement, soil testing and acoustic consulting in the amount of $159,176.

President La Tourette recommended a lease expanding the space available for the University's Business and Industry Services located in Oakbrook. As noted, this has been a very successful university program offering consultation and programs in training for business and industry. The operation is self-supporting and the necessary rental funds will be generated by the expansion of the operation.

Chair Siegel called for motions to approve the items in the President's report.

Agenda Item 6.a. - Personnel Transactions: Trustee Grans made the motion and Trustee Myles seconded. The motion passed.

Agenda Item 6.b. - Administrative Reorganization: New vice presidential titles of Executive Vice President and Provost and Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, replacing the existing titles of Vice President and Provost and Vice President for Finance and Planning; and a new vice presidential position of Vice President for Administration, promotion of Dr. Anne C. Kaplan to that position, and elimination of the position of Executive Assistant to the President/Administration and Human Resource Services.

Trustee Fowler expressed his hope that, in light of the new administrative organization, students would continue to be given access to the President's Office. Chair Siegel emphasized that these changes are intended to provide a better and higher level of service than has previously been available and that access should continue to be equal to or greater than it was. Trustee Sanchez made a motion to accept the administrative reorganization and Trustee Boey seconded. The motion was approved.

Trustee Sanchez moved for approval of the Financial Transactions set forth in Agenda Item 6.c., the busing contract for $1,833,000; the health insurance contract for $4 million; the tuition increase of 5.75% and the College of Law increase of 8.43% for the 1996-97 academic year; the fees/room and board rate increase of 4.48%; the College of Business delivery fee at the Rockford Education Center of $137 per credit hour on the M.B.A. courses; the $422,900 renovation and remodeling of the Holmes Student Center Bookstore; the $159,176 Altgeld Hall renovation project; and the approval of the Business and Industry Services lease agreement. Trustee Grans seconded. The motion was approved.

President La Tourette said he thought the Board's committee structure was working very well and that it gives students, faculty and staff opportunity to interact with the Board more than in formal meetings of the full Board.

Agenda Item 6.d. - Summary of Grant Contract Awards

President La Tourette noted that the university continues to do well in grants and contracts generated by faculty and staff. There has been a decrease in federal funding in the last few years, but through grants and contracts with the state and with corporate sponsors, a slight increase was experienced for FY95.

The president corrected the title of the Quarterly Summary Report, saying it should read " ... for the Period ... through March 15, 1996" instead of " ... March 1." The title will also be changed from "Quarterly ..." to "Periodic ..." to reflect variations in report intervals.

Agenda Item 6.e. - Quarterly Report on Transactions

For the period of January 1 through March 15, President La Tourette reviewed and approved five transactions above $100,000 and under $250,000. The name of the vendor will be provided on future reports along with any additional information requested by the Board. An annual report will be presented at the end of the year to summarize all transactions between zero and $100,000, $100,000 to $250,000, and above $250,000. Equipment purchases authorized through the Capitol Development Board (CDB) will also be reported since the university acts as an agent of the CDB when the state builds an academic building for the institution.

Agenda Item 6.f. - Computing and Connectivity

John Tuecke, Associate Vice President of Systems, provided a review of the computing and connectivity resources for faculty and students at NIU, including data on the number of computers, percentage connected to a network, the age or capacity of the machines, and information on the progress made in the last year in all three categories. He estimated that as of January 1996, approximately 85% of tenure track faculty had personal computers in their offices or labs. Tuecke indicated that capacity had increased greatly in the last ten months with Pentium PC power processors and stated that the technology now in use is approximately 63% current, 24.5% older and 12.4% obsolete. In the instructional computing labs 68% of the technology is current, 25% old and 7.7% obsolete.

La Tourette demonstrated the use of Northern's new homepage on the Word Wide Web. He told the Board that the Magellan Internet Guide, which rates North American college and university Internet sites, recently gave Northern Illinois University four stars, its highest rating for an Internet site that provides extensive information about the university, registration, phone and e-mail directories, campus services, news and events, academic departments, and other university resources. The homepage is the result of a collaborative effort involving about 20 faculty and staff. This is an increasingly important means of communication, La Tourette said, which enables universities to reach out to prospective students and parents, the news media and, in the future, the Board of Trustees.

Agenda Item 6.g. - Introduction of 1996 Presidential Professors and Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awardees

La Tourette gave a brief history of the Presidential Teaching Professor and Presidential Research Professor Awards. He recognized Dr. William Monat, former NIU President and currently Adjunct Regency Professor, Public Administration, who established the Presidential Research Professor Awards 14 years ago to encourage and reward outstanding faculty members who had made major contributions to research in their fields. A total of 41 outstanding researchers have been named Presidential Research Professor. The Presidential Teaching Professor program was established in 1990 and carries with it the same financial and leave incentives as the Research Award program. Since its inception, 18 people have received this award. At the conclusion of a four-year designation as a Presidential Teaching or a Presidential Research Professor, the individual becomes a Distinguished Research or Teaching Professor, a designation that the faculty maintain throughout their tenure at NIU.

The 1996 Presidential Teaching Professors, Research Professors, and those selected for this year's Excellence in Teaching Awards were introduced by President La Tourette. Recognized as Presidential Teaching Professors were Elliott Lessen from the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education; James Lockard from the Department of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies; and Lorys Oddi, from the School of Nursing. The Presidential Research Professors were History Professor Stephen Haliczer and Philosophy Professor Harold Brown.

Since its inception in 1966, 96 NIU teachers have received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award which reflects student opinion at NIU and includes a $2,000 stipend underwritten by the NIU Foundation. This year, three outstanding undergraduate teachers were honored: Elizabeth Kay from Allied Health, Sean Shesgreen from English, and Gordon Hilton from Political Science.

Chair Siegel and Dr. Charles Larson on behalf of the Faculty Senate added their congratulations to those of Dr. La Tourette to the professors selected for recognition of their accomplishments. Dr. La Tourette noted that a reception was to be held for the recipients in the Skyroom immediately following the Board meeting.

Chair's Items

Chair Siegel stated that the Board of Trustees was now reviewing portions of a new set of Board Regulations. The materials were also being reviewed by members of the University Advisory Committee. Suggestions from the Advisory Committee, as well as the Trustees, were to be made by May 3 to the President's Office. Suggestions from the Trustees were to be forwarded to Chair Siegel who would then work with the President's Office to bring the new Regulations to the June 19 meeting.

Trustee Boey introduced Mr. Jerry Rich, who has been working with President La Tourette and Tom Mitchell, Vice President, Development and University Relations, for the last two years as Chair of the Campaign Planning Committee to help prepare the University for its first major fund raising initiative. Noting that the University's operating budget of $240 million was only 39% state supported and that state support is declining, Trustee Boey said that emphasis must more than ever be placed on fund raising and private support.

Mr. Rich applauded the opportunity provided by the new board and described the development of the President's Campaign Planning Cabinet and its goals. The committee has been working with some major corporations and is frequently told that universities and colleges today are living in a global world and that students must be educated for the global competitiveness that is going to exist in the 21st Century; globalized companies are spending the dollars it takes to stay ahead in education and technology. These major corporations have to be attracted back to the universities, and to NIU in particular. It will take a lot of money, Rich said, to compete for the students and faculty of the future. Students are going to come to NIU because we've got the latest to offer. Faculty are going to come to NIU because we've got the latest in equipment and the smartest students.

Public universities must pursue support from sources other than state government in order to compete with corporations doing their own training. With everyone working together in this fund raising effort, we can make Northern a university which can do a lot for its communities - for the business communities and for the people who live in the communities around us.

Chair Siegel introduced Mr. Don Prince, Assistant to the Executive Director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), who spoke to the Board.

Mr. Prince emphasized ISAC's respect for mutual efforts in helping students finance their education at Northern. The challenges of recruitment, retention and affordability are major concerns for NIU and the basis of a good working relationship with ISAC.

ISAC's mission includes direct monetary award grants, other grants, the Illinois State Scholar program, the Illinois Merit Scholarship program, the Federal Stafford Loan program, its own Alternative Loan program, a secondary market for educational loans, a savings and investment program named ICAN, the creation of new initiatives for meeting college costs and providing a broad source of information on financial aid. In fiscal 1995, ISAC awarded $10,045,575 in direct nonrepayable grants to 4,742 Northern Illinois University students. Through the Federal Stafford Loan program in the same year, ISAC serviced loans through private lenders to 9,725 Northern students, totaling $27,589,345. This academic year, ISAC has developed its own Alternative Loan program which supplements federal loans. Director Larry Matejka has had discussions with President La Tourette about offering the Alternative Loan program on a pilot basis to NIU Law School students.

A new initiative, the Illinois Incentive for Access, awards $500 per year in addition to any MAP or Monetary Award Program to freshmen with zero expected family contribution. ISAC also now has a program called Higher Ed Net which provides information on more than 200,000 scholarships.

As a final Chair's item, Chair Siegel congratulated the members of the Board of Trustees on how well the committees are working. He thanked the Trustees, saying the effort and time they put in made the Chair's job easy and enjoyable.

Under Other Matters, Trustee Fowler thanked all the Board members and members of the NIU community, particularly the Office of Public Affairs, and many of the other offices and administrative units, for their outstanding support of the Leadership Conference held the previous week. NIU deserves a lot of credit, he said, for all the support given the students.

The Next Meeting Date of the Board was scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, at 1:30 p.m. Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee was scheduled for May 16; the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee Meeting for May 29; and the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee will meet at 11:00 a.m. prior to the full Board meeting on June 19.

Chair Siegel thanked the UAC representatives Linda Sons, Judy Bischoff, Gordon Shneider, Charlie Larson, Jim Russell and Kate Romano for their efforts in working with the Trustees' committees.

Chair Siegel also confirmed that the June 19 Board meeting will be the last meeting for Student Trustee Fowler and congratulated him on his outstanding service as a Student Regent and Student Trustee of Northern Illinois University.

Chair Siegel then called for a motion to adjourn. Trustee Sanchez so moved; Trustee Moser seconded.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon M. Mimms
Recording Secretary