Minutes of the Meeting of the
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
April 23, 1998

The meeting was called to order by Chair Robert Boey at 11:46 a.m. in the Regency Room of Holmes Student Center at Northern Illinois University.  Recording Secretary Sharon Mimms conducted a roll call of Trustees.  Members present were Trustees Susan Grans, George Moser, David Raymond, Myron Siegel, Student Trustee Steven Kovacs and Chair Boey.  Not present were Trustees James Myles and Manuel Sanchez.  Also present was Board Parliamentarian Kenneth Davidson.  With a quorum present, the meeting proceeded.

There was no report from the Executive Committee.

Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee

Committee Chair Grans reported that the committee met on Tuesday, April 14.  She stated that the action items presented at that meeting were being presented to the Board for approval in this meeting.  Chair Grans said the committee heard reports from several faculty members on the sabbatical leaves they were granted in the last year.  It really gave us a better feel for the entire sabbatical process, she said.  Also, very positive and rewarding reports were heard regarding the Committee on Minority Concerns and the Honors Program, as well as retirement options and salary increment guidelines for clerical employees.

Chair Boey commented that the sabbatical reports given by the three faculty members were very interesting and informative.  Trustee Grans said the reports were very important to the Board, because they gave the Board members a better dimension and feel for the whole sabbatical process and how the faculty not only come back with new perspectives but are able to add these perspectives to the business world and other environments.  Chair Boey said he thought it was worthwhile to have reports on sabbaticals every two or three years because these leaves are important to the faculty and the knowledge they can bring to the students from these experiences.

Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee

Committee Chair David Raymond reported that the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee also met on April 14.  At that meeting, the Committee accepted the periodic report of transactions exceeding $100,000, as well as informational items on the real estate donation at Hoffman Estates, a Child Care Center update, a real property lease agreement for the University Press, and a report on the procurement regulation bill.  Matters brought for consideration and approval included contracts and contract renewals for Northern Star printing and delivery services, printing services printing equipment, International Programs and athletic sports camps.  Capital issues presented for approval included revision of the design and construction budget for the Center for University Resources for Latinos and Latin American Studies and a recommendation to act on Phase I of the DuSable Hall renovation project.  Chair Raymond said that the Committee endorsed these matters and was presenting them in this meeting for full Board approval.

Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee

There was no report from the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee.

Illinois Board of Higher Education

There was no report from the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

University Civil Service Merit Board

There was no report from the University Civil Service Merit Board.

Northern Illinois University Foundation

Michael Malone, Vice President for Development and University Resources reported that Northern public radio had just completed its spring fundraiser.  He said that it was the largest fundraiser, by 23%, ever held in the spring.  They raised more than $61,000, exceeding their previous spring record by more than $11,000.  They recently changed the programming mix on those stations, he said, and it is attracting audience numbers and membership dollars.  Mr. Malone said that in Fall 1998 repeater stations will be built in Freeport, Dixon and LaSalle-Peru, which will increase the potential audience significantly.  As federal dollars and university dollars are being weaned away from that operation, they have to become more self-sufficient, he said, and this is one way for them to do that.

Vice President Malone said he was pleased to report that students were still working the phones and setting new records of alumni giving.  A total of 10,500 alumni have pledged thus far this year, including 3,370 new donors.  He said current figures indicated that a majority of the academic departments at NIU will see increased gifts for their use this year.  In addition to annual gifts, some of the student callers found that the people they were talking to wanted to give fairly significant major gifts, including a $22,000 gift to the College of Business and another $10,000 to the College of Education.

It was anticipated that the NIU Foundation and McHenry County Conservation District would soon close on the sale of the Woodstock property.  The net proceeds from the sale will be used to establish a scholarship endowment for students in good standing who exhibit financial need.  The pledge of a gift of 20 acres of land adjacent to I-90 in Hoffman Estates, which will be covered later in the meeting, Mr. Malone said, could result in the largest gift to NIU in its history to date.  This land could provide the site for further expansion of services to that region.  Once that gift is secured and appraised, he said, it will likely become the largest single gift to NIU in total value.

The Chief Development Officer search was completed with the hiring of Ms. Mallory Simpson.  Susan Lesh, an NIU graduate, was also hired as a Major Gift Officer as a result of that same search.

Chair Boey asked the size of NIU’s alumni population.  Mr. Malone stated that they had around 140,000 alumni in their database and it was their intention to call the approximately 100,000 alumni for whom they have good telephone numbers by the end of this year.  Four calling stations are being added to the calling center, which maxes out the space at 29 call stations that are kept busy Monday through Thursday, one shift on Saturday, and two shifts on Sunday when students are in session. Chair Boey inquired if the phones were manned exclusively by students.  Mr. Malone said four graduate students act as supervisors and one of two full-time staff professionals is always on site, but the calls are all made by undergraduate students.  At this point, Mr. Malone said, the calling center is experiencing a very high retention rate of students for next year and that will bring the training cycle down.  When asked if the students were volunteers or paid, Mr. Malone said these were paid positions with no commissions.  He reported that many of the students come from the College of Business, Marketing and Sales.  Mr. Malone said they have also been concurrently running some programs with Professor Jay Wagle's classes in Direct Marketing by taking segments of the NIU market, testing certain approaches on those segments and using it as class research.

Trustee Raymond asked how many first-time donors there were.  Mr. Malone said there were about 3,400 surfaced in this process that had never given before.  Mr. Malone reminded the Board that for the past three or four years, only about 25,000 alumni were called per year.  We are saturating a market of alumni who had expressed interest or had donated in the past, he said.  This time, we are calling all alumni and trying to reach donors who we hope will become annual donors.

Trustee Grans said that radio stations WNIU and WNIJ are well-known and the university is spoken of widely in the Boone and Winnebago County areas.  She commended the stations on their promotion of WNIU/WNIJ and the university in the Rockford area.

Dr. Kaplan introduced the Northern Star printing and delivery service contract recommended for approval by the Finance and Facilities Committee.  The university requested Board approval to process the orders with Castle Communications, Inc. funding will be provided through Institutional Funds, Auxiliary Enterprises and Activities and the Northern Star.  Trustee Siegel made the motion to approve the contract renewal, seconded by Trustee Grans.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(2) – Printing Services – Printing Equipment Contract (Renewal)

Dr. Kaplan stated that the this item had also been forwarded by the Finance and Facilities Committee.  The university requested Board approval of the Printing Services printing equipment contract renewals with Xerox Corporation as stated in the report.  Student Trustee Kovacs so moved, seconded by Trustee Siegel.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(3) – International Programs Contract (Renewal)

The International Programs contract was also a request for renewal.  Dr. Kaplan said the university requested Board of Trustees approval for operational and expenditure authorization granted to the NIU International Programs Division for foreign study programs for FY99.  Trustee Grans so moved, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(4) – Athletic Sports Camps – Housing and Meals Expenditure Authorization

Dr. Kaplan explained that this was a request for expenditure authority for a blanket order of $440,000 to University Plaza to house the sports and cheerleader/pom squad camps offered through Intercollegiate Athletics this summer.  The university requests approval of expenditures not to exceed $2.5 million.  Trustee Raymond so moved, seconded by Trustee Moser.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(5) – Center for University Resources for Latinos and Latin American Studies —
                                           Design and Construction Budget Revision

It was explained in the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee that it would not be cost-effective to remodel the existing building.  Therefore, Dr. Kaplan said, the university now recommends that the existing structure be demolished and the new center be redesigned as a one-story slab on grade.  The university requested approval to establish a total project budget of $850,000, which includes construction cost, architectural/engineering fees, equipment and contingency, to build this structure.  Trustee Raymond said they received an excellent report on this item at the FFO Committee Meeting.  Chair Boey said it was a very logical decision to make.  Trustee Raymond wondered how well this change of plans had been communicated to the university community.  UAC Representative Andy Small said that the center directors were very much in favor of the change.  Associate Vice President Kathe Shinham said that students were involved with the project, were aware of what was happening and also supported the recommendation to rebuild.  UAC Representative Charles Larson said that George Gutierrez, Director of University Resources for Latinos, was very pleased with the outcomes and several of the other staff people associated with that center were very pleased with the revised planning.  Chair Boey said though the new construction will cost a little more than the original remodeling plan, the new building will be far more cost efficient and have a more efficient building layout for the two units.  Trustee Raymond said that as Chair of the Finance Committee, he felt the same way.  Trustee Siegel said this was obviously the right thing to do and probably should have been done from the beginning.  Trustee Moser said often, a little remodeling looks like the most economical way to go; but in the normal course of events, it often becomes a little more complicated than first anticipated.  Chair Boey said that starting from scratch may also accommodate more of the designs that could not be incorporated in the original remodeling plan.  The Chair asked for a motion to approve the demolition and rebuilding of the center with a total project budget of $850,000.  Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(6) – DuSable Hall Renovation Project

Dr. Kaplan stated that this renovation project recommendation is for the establishment of a project budget of $500,000 and for identifying and contracting with an architecturaI/engineering firm to move to Phase I of the DuSable Hall renovation goals.  She emphasized that this is just the beginning and not the whole project, but one that is important and of great interest to the campus.  Trustee Siegel moved to approve a total project budget of $500,000 for Phase I of the DuSable Hall renovation.  Trustee Grans seconded the motion.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(7) – Recommendations for Faculty Promotions, Tenure and Promotions with Tenure

President La Tourette said the university followed the procedures as specified by the Board on review of faculty for tenure and promotion.  They come not only recommended by the Provost, but also by the President.  After the President's review of these various promotion and tenure decisions, he then presents them to the Board for approval.  President's La Tourette said the university has a very rigorous tenure and promotion review process that begins with department level consideration, moving through the college and, ultimately, to the Provost and University Council Personnel Committee.  He asked for Board approval of these promotions and tenure decisions.  Trustee Grans so moved, seconded by Trustee Sanchez.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(8) – Recommendations for Faculty and Staff Sabbatical Leaves for 1998-99

Again, Dr. La Tourette said, the university has followed the procedures specified by the Board for faculty and staff sabbatical leave requests.  There has been a very thorough review with recommendations coming from the departmental level, priorities established at that level and at the college level with further review, and review and priorities established in terms of sabbatical leaves by the Provost's Office working with the University Council Personnel Committee. Chair Boey mentioned that three faculty gave very good reports on their sabbatical leaves at the AASAP Committee meeting.  He said it was a pleasure to hear what they did in detail because it went a long way to undo some of the misconceptions about sabbaticals held by those outside the higher education community.  President La Tourette said he wanted to underscore the remarks made by Chair Boey.  The President said sabbatical leaves are essential to faculty maintaining and improving their competency in order to be up to date with their instructional and support programs.  President La Tourette said he recommended these faculty and staff sabbatical leave requests to the Board for approval on behalf of the Provost and the university Academic Affairs and Student Affairs areas.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Moser.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(9) – Requests for Degree Authority at Off-Campus Sites

Dr. La Tourette pointed out that these requests had been reviewed by the Academic and Student Affairs Operations Committee.  The requests are for a Master of Accounting Science at Hoffman Estates in the Elgin Community College District and a Master of Science in Education in Instructional Technology in the Chicago Public Schools.  These programs are already authorized for the university on campus and approval of this item would extend the authority to off-campus sites.  The programs will have to be reviewed and approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.  President La Tourette said he had been informed by Trustee Raymond that Governor Edgar had been made a member of the board for the Association of Governing Boards (AGB).  This board deals with all boards of trustees, public and private, across the nation.  In his acceptance speech, the Governor mentioned the very important role that public universities need to serve in Illinois by offering programs off campus on a timely basis to those people who cannot, because of jobs and other obligations, travel to DeKalb or, perhaps, into Chicago.  So I'm very pleased to present these degree requests to you, President La Tourette said, particularly since I think the Governor has recognized the leadership role that NIU has played in the northern Illinois region in outreaching to people who are employed and those who cannot be away from their families to provide them the educational opportunities they need to be more productive citizens.  The President asked Board approval for off-campus degree authority for the Master of Accounting Science at Hoffman Estates in the Elgin Community College District and a Master of Science in Education in Instructional Technology in the Chicago Public Schools.  Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Moser.  The motion was approved.

President La Tourette recommended the appointment of Michael Malone as Vice President for Development and University Relations.  Dr. La Tourette said that Mr. Malone has been serving as Interim Vice President and during this interim period Mr. Malone had more than exceeded his expectations.  He brought the areas of public relations, development and alumni together in a very effective way for the first time to develop a very synergistic relationship in those areas.  President La Tourette said he had very high expectations that with Mr. Malone, Ms. Mallory Simpson and some other key development officers, the university would have a team that will make a critical difference in fund raising and providing extra funds from external sources for the benefit of university academic programs.  Trustee Raymond said the appointment was extremely well deserved.  The President asked the Board to approve Mr. Malone's appointment from Interim Vice President to Vice President for Development and University Relations.  Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the appointment.  Trustee Grans so moved, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

Chair Boey recognized Student Trustee Steve Kovacs and asked him to say a few words.  Mr. Kovacs said this would be his last meeting as Student Trustee.  Before he made his comments, he said he had received a phone call from another university just before leaving for this meeting that reassured his beliefs in how helpful this Board had been and how interactive they are with the students.  The call was from a university that was trying to do some research on the fee increases passed by various universities throughout the state and the lack of student input.  She asked me to compile all the information I could on student fees, Mr. Kovacs said, and then she wanted to know all those student fees for which there was no input from the students.  Although kind of taken back, he told the caller that for the student fees he was aware of, the NIU Board and administration interacted with the students on all levels.  I do not think she really believed me, he said, so I'll have to get back to her.  But that reaffirmed how pleasurable it has been to work with this Board and this administration.

Last night I went to the computer and I pulled up some comments that I made during my first meeting as Student Trustee, Kovacs said, and I realized all the expectations that I had for this position were met and exceeded by the actual experience.  I am truly fortunate to have been able to represent the student view to this Board, and was pleased to be able to take the ideas of this Board back to the students.  The only thing more rewarding than educating the students on the many things that the university does was the experience of being with these great individuals.  It is rare that a 22-year-old college student is able to sit with true professionals and leaders in their field and still feel a level of comfort as though he sits among friends.  This Board has a unique blend of strategic vision coupled with an understanding of current student needs.  It has truly been a pleasure, Kovacs said.  Being on this Board has allowed me to set a long-term goal for myself.  That goal is to one day return to this Board and sit on it, or if I can return to NIU and interact with the individuals like I do today, I will have truly been successful.  He concluded by saying that he thanked the members of the Board for the opportunity to serve with them.

Chair Boey thanked Student Trustee Kovacs for his remarks and said that he had been a credit to the NIU Board and there was no question in his mind that Mr. Kovacs would be very successful.  The Chair extended his very best wishes to Mr. Kovacs and thanked him for being a great Trustee.  Trustee Siegel commented that in spite of the fact that the Student Trustee position was a very difficult, time consuming and demanding one, Steve Kovacs had done a wonderful job and would be missed.  We have been very lucky in having excellent student trustees, Trustee Siegel said, and I hope when the time comes that we will have a replacement just as good.

President La Tourette said that in March of this year, an announcement went out to NIU faculty about a new endowment which would fund innovative projects that promote the use of technology in teaching.  The endowment was funded by an individual's gift to the NIU Foundation.  The donor sought to "provide an incentive to faculty to develop innovations in computer-aided teaching."  Faculty members were invited to apply for an annual grant funded by the endowment.  Several dozen faculty responded, indicating a very high degree of interest.  A committee made up of Presidential Teaching Professors reviewed the applications and earlier this month selected the first recipient.  President La Tourette then introduced Trustee David W. Raymond as the person who gave this generous gift in support of education.  He told Trustee Raymond that his gift gave the university another tool with which to stimulate interest and draw out the best ideas on campus for using technology in teaching.  From the response received to the call for proposals, Dr. La Tourette said, we know that our faculty are anxious to develop new teaching methods that incorporate technology, not for its own sake, but for the genuine improvement of the learning process.  I know that you are hoping that your gift will serve as a catalyst for other faculty-developed teaching innovations.  He then invited Trustee Raymond to share a few thoughts about this project.

I started to think about this when I moved out of the state of Illinois last year to Virginia, Trustee Raymond said.  Because of the move, I have not asked to be reappointed to the Board when my term expires in January.  But this has been a wonderful experience, and I have really enjoyed being a part of the NIU Board and the governance process, as well as being involved in and learning a lot more about higher education.  It has also inspired me, as Steve Kovacs mentioned, to want to continue to be involved in higher education.  I did not want to leave NIU totally behind when my term expires, so I was trying to think of how I could make some continuing contribution, some reason to continue to be connected to the future of NIU, because this Board, in the time that I have been here, has made some very critical decisions that are going to impact the future of NIU for many years into the 21st Century.  And so, I'd like to continue to feel connected and have a reason to return periodically.  That is when I thought of endowing a grant.  The grant I have endowed will focus on some issues that I feel are very important to NIU and all universities and, particularly, to faculty and the students.  There is always a controversy about the balance between the research and teaching responsibilities of faculty, but I wanted to put some sort of an incentive on the teaching side because there is already a lot of focus on the research side.  I also wanted to do something directly for the faculty because it has become obvious to me, as I have been involved in higher education, that faculty are often not the first to benefit from new resources, because students usually get priority when there are new resources, and there are so many other critical issues like deferred maintenance that require support.  So, I wanted to do something particularly directed toward faculty, because to me the faculty are critical to the mission of any institution of higher education.  They are the backbone of the institution; they are the intellectual capital that provides the substance of the product that we are selling.  They provide the course content and the knowledge and the challenges and the intellectual content of everything that a university has to offer.  I spent 26 years in the retail business where we always talked about the point of contact with the customer.  The faculty are the point of contact between the university and the customers of this university, the students.  Students and their parents do not choose to come to NIU because of its outstanding President, its outstanding staff, its administrative and support staff, or because it has the best Board of Trustees in Illinois.  They decide to come to NIU because of the faculty, people they know on the faculty or have heard about, and because of the programs and courses the faculty develop and put together.  It is important to have a well-maintained, up-to-date and attractive environment and buildings.  You have to have that, and that is what we spend a great deal of time with at this level.  But if you do not have the substance and the intellectual capital to offer when people come to a beautiful campus, they will not come back.  A university has to have a team of dedicated educational professionals on its faculty who receive the recognition that attracts people.

I just attended the annual conference of the Association of Governing Boards in Nashville where there was a great deal of talk about how higher education has to pay attention to all these new trends and technology.  One speaker gave examples of the wide range and growing offerings on the Internet of virtual universities and virtual courses now offered on the Internet from hundreds of universities.  Many of these are state universities and other major universities in the country.  There are some states that are really putting an emphasis on this, such as California, Texas, Minnesota and Western Governors' University, which were cited as examples that clearly indicate there are some out there ahead of NIU and Illinois.  But I have every confidence that NIU and Illinois are going to catch this wave and will be right there with everybody else in higher education as this new technology develops.  Obviously, part of the purpose of this grant is to help stimulate the creativity of the faculty to help NIU achieve that.  I also heard a lot of speakers, after talking about this new wave of technology, comment that tradition-bound higher education is resistant to change and wonder if it will be able to compete in this new high tech world.  Those comments were often followed by some reference to faculty and tenure.  There is an equation in many people's minds of faculty and tenure as being elements that cause resistance to change.  But I have a much different view about all that.  I think there is sometimes too much concern over what everybody describes as shared governance and the thought that shared governance is going to cause delays in decision making which will cause tradition-bound higher education to be left behind by the for-profit institutions offering innovative courses.  I think the one thing that is not given enough recognition is the fact that everybody involved with a university or an institution of higher education has a shared vision and shared values.  The faculty, the administration, the staff and the Board of Trustees all have a shared vision to provide an institution, an environment and forum for learning, research and service to our community.  We all have a shared vision that we all want NIU to succeed in that endeavor.  We all have a shared vision that we want our students to succeed in the future.  We all have a shared vision that we want the contributions that are made to learning, research and community service to be recognized by peers, the public and potential future students.

My grant is really a small way of trying to help unleash the intellectual creativity that I know already exists in the faculty.  When I saw the proposal that was submitted, I knew there was already a lot of work being done on these things and, hopefully, the grant will just offer a way to spark the final steps that will allow members of the faculty who would like to do some of these things to see the end results of their efforts.  By doing that, I think we will give the faculty an opportunity to help the whole NIU community realize its shared vision by using innovative techniques and innovative technology.  They will be able to help NIU get to the forefront of this new electronic age and allow NIU and its community to demonstrate that we are not resisting change, but embracing it, and reaching out to the northern Illinois region in new ways.

Trustee Raymond concluded by saying, I hope the grant helps to pull out all of these kinds of creative and innovative ideas from the faculty, and in doing so, benefits the students and brings some recognition to NIU.  I am especially pleased that the content of the first proposal really demonstrates that the first submission and award is going to carry out what I was hoping this grant was going to do.  I am very pleased at the opportunity to provide this kind of incentive to recognize the faculty and benefit the students.

Chair Boey said that Trustee Raymond exemplified the spirit, the commitment and the caring from this Board.  We are very proud that we have you for another seven months and look forward to your participation.

President La Tourette introduced the first recipient of the David W. Raymond Grant for Use of Technology in Teaching, Dr. Michael Kolb, who is an Assistant Professor in Anthropology.  He submitted the winning proposal for a grant to hire graduate assistants and student workers to develop new computer-aided instructional software for general education courses.  Not only will this project enhance the way in which undergraduates acquire interpretive and analytical skills, Dr. La Tourette said, but Dr. Kolb's plans call for the actual development process to involve students as well.  Dr. Kolb said he was very honored to be the first recipient of the David W. Raymond Grant for Use of Technology in Teaching.  He reiterated some of Trustee Raymond's comments, saying there is a lot of talk about education, the classroom and technology and the implementation of these things, but there are many universities and schools that really do not know how to accomplish it.  Dr. Kolb said it was his belief that the David Raymond Grant was an excellent step in that direction.  It is important for research institutions like NIU, Dr. Kolb said, to try to convey certain aspects of different field experiences and how to problem solve in order to get away from the normal routine of exam and testing just rote memorization.  And I think technology, particularly archeology and other fields, Dr. Kolb said, can benefit by trying to convey this aspect of their fields in problem solving and field methodologies.

Trustee Siegel introduced two of his daughters, Ariel and Alia, after announcing that he had brought them to the meeting in honor of "Bring Your Child to Work Day."  Chair Boey recognized the presence of UAC Representative Andy Small and former Student Trustee David Marquez.  He also recognized Student Association President Beth Hull, Student Association President-elect Joy Molano and Student Association Vice President-elect Jaime Gonzales.

President La Tourette also added his appreciation to Trustee Raymond, not only for his dedication to this Board and the enormous amount of work he has done to help this Board become the best Board in Illinois, but for his real material investment here, one that is going to last for many years, through the funding of this grant to assist the faculty in using technology for instruction and teaching on campus.  He said this will go a long way to provide an example for others to help the university and to provide an example to faculty to move forward in the introduction of new technology.

Chair Boey said it was a distinct honor and privilege to welcome Governor Edgar to the Northern Illinois University campus and to this meeting of its Board of Trustees.  While we are always pleased to receive a visit from the Governor, the Chair said, we are especially proud to have him take a seat with us here at the Board table, since it was Jim Edgar who created the system of independent public university governance in which we are now privileged to serve.  We have just passed our second anniversary as a Board.  Governor Edgar, I know I speak for all of us here today when I say that your ongoing support has helped us create a better university for the students of this region, Chair Boey said, and for this we thank you and pledge to continue our work on behalf of the students for whom this university exists.

Chair Boey asked President La Tourette to say a few words.  President La Tourette said it was a real pleasure to have the Governor on campus again and welcomed him on behalf of the entire NIU community.  He noted for the record that Governor Edgar was here exactly two years ago to help celebrate the opening of Faraday Hall West.  President La Tourette said he was very pleased that the Governor had chosen to honor us again in the observance of another new beginning — the celebration of the upcoming renovation of historic Altgeld Hall.  Your leadership in higher education has taken many forms, President La Tourette said, but the theme has been consistent — service to students, new buildings, new governance structures, better ways to manage our resources.  All of these improvements are solidly aimed at creating a better environment for teaching and learning.  President La Tourette introduced some of the most outstanding student leaders on our campus.  First was Student Trustee Steve Kovacs, who has done an excellent job in bringing student concerns and opinions to the attention of the Board.  He also introduced outgoing Student Association President Beth Hull, Student Association President-Elect Joy Molano and Vice President-Elect Jaime Gonzales.  President La Tourette noted that the Governor had been Student Association President at Eastern Illinois University at one time.

Dr. La Tourette said he was very pleased that the governor could be with us to personally accept a recognition of his contributions to Illinois higher education.  He then called on George Moser, Chair of the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee to present the award.  Mr. Moser is a skilled and dedicated Trustee whose involvement with and support of NIU predates his term on the Board. President La Tourette said.  He was instrumental in the establishment of our Hoffman Estates Center and has brought his leadership skills in the private sector to his role in university governance.  As the father of a son who attended NIU, he brings a personal view and commitment to his role as a Trustee.  The President congratulated Mr. Moser and expressed appreciation for all the leadership he had provided on the Board.

The Governor joined Trustee Moser at the podium.  Trustee Moser said we are honored and delighted that that the Governor could join us today so that we might express to him our heartfelt gratitude for all he had done during his two terms as Governor to improve conditions for higher education in our state.  Throughout your time in office, Trustee Moser said, you have worked tirelessly and selflessly to promote all levels of education, including higher education, and have always had the best interests of all nine public universities in mind.  Your commitment is obvious in very tangible ways, such as your support for dozens of major construction projects at universities across the state in recent years.  On our own campus, your support was instrumental in the construction of Faraday West, which you helped us dedicate during your last visit to campus; in the completion of our state-of-the-art College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, which will soon be manifest; and in the restoration of our beloved Altgeld Hall, for which you helped us obtain funding.  Another extremely important change made under your leadership, Trustee Moser said, was legislation that allows the universities to retain tuition revenues locally.  Finally, your foresight was obvious in the establishment of independent governing boards to guide public universities into the next millenium, insuring that we will continue to provide excellent education and excellent value for generations of students to come.  In recognition of these and many other contributions to higher education in Illinois, Trustee Moser said, it is my honor as Chair of the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee to present you with the first Jim Edgar Award for Excellence in Higher Education.  It bears your name, not because you are its first recipient, but in hopes that others will follow your example of support for public universities across the state.  Thank you, Governor, on behalf of all of us who care about and believe in this university and its students.

Governor Edgar spoke to the Board and those assembled as follows.

Thank you very much members of the Board.  Thank you very much for this very distinct honor.  To President La Tourette, Senator Burzynski and to all the other leaders at Northern and friends and dignitaries, it is indeed a pleasure to be here.  You know, it's always an honor to receive an honor.  But it's a special honor to receive an award that bears your name.  Usually, you don't live to see that.  So, I feel very appreciative to receive it, and I do very much appreciate the place from which this award came, from the members of the Board.  There are many things that we've been involved in in state government in the last eight years to really reshape state government.  This has probably been the most exciting and dynamic time in the history of state government throughout the nation, and that is particularly true here in Illinois.  State government today is far different than it was when I became Governor in 1991.  Part of that is because times have changed.  Sometimes government is slow in responding to the need for change.  Some have even accused higher education of being slow to change.  But in Illinois, as a result of changing times, fiscal challenges, a whole host of reasons, we have changed state government considerably.  And I think particularly in higher education, an area that the news media and some of the people who follow government have a tendency to overlook, there has been significant change.

We have seen a lot of streamlining and resetting of priorities, which I think was important, as difficult as it was at many campuses to achieve that.  But perhaps the most significant change in higher education has been the change in the governance of higher education for most of our state universities.  Now, I come at this with some knowledge.  I am very proud of the fact that I am the first person ever elected Governor of the State of Illinois who graduated from a public higher education institution in the state of Illinois.  That never happened before, which I think many find surprising.  But, as someone who came from a state university, someone who grew up in a community with a state university, who was a legislator from a university district, one of the things that I always thought was a mistake was that we often tried to run our universities from Springfield, as opposed to allowing more grass-roots control of what was happening.  Higher education was really the only education system in which we tried to do that.  Elementary/secondary schools had local school boards.  Community colleges had regional elected boards.  But our senior institutions, for the most part, were directed by a bureaucracy in Springfield.  Now, I believe we need coordination, but we still need more local control.  And long before I became Governor, back in my days as a state legislator, I used to suggest that we needed to change the system.  But as a freshman state legislator in the minority party, I didn't have a whole lot of say.  Then, I got to be Governor and some people forgot to pay attention to what I said when I was a legislator.  One of the things we were able to do, with the help of Lieutenant Governor Kustra whose expertise in higher education is now known not only here in Illinois but throughout the nation, was move ahead to finally change the governance system.  As a result, I'm very proud of the boards that we have seen established around the state of Illinois — grass-roots control of the universities — and I think that has resulted in a much better system of higher education.  And to you, members of the Northern Board, I want to especially thank you for your service and for the job you have done.  You are pioneers, and you have done an excellent job.  We keep pretty close tabs on what the various governing boards are doing because I feel very responsible for them.  Not only did I initiate the legislation that created them, I am the person that appointed these boards to see how they would work.  We are extremely pleased throughout the state and were particularly pleased with what you've done here at Northern.  So, to receive an award from you has extra meaning.  Again, thank you for the job you are doing.  And Bob, you mentioned the high salary you are paid — I especially appreciate your willingness to put the time and energy in because it is a gift you give back to the state of Illinois and the people of this state, and we appreciate it very much.

I also find it very appropriate that we have the student leaders here today.  As President La Tourette mentioned, I was president of the student body at Eastern, but it wasn't in the early '60s; it was the late '60s.  And I felt it was a very worthwhile undertaking.  In fact, I don't think I would be Governor today if I hadn't been student body president first at Eastern.  I'm sure being student body president at Eastern is not as important as being Student Association president at Northern.  You've got more students than we had at Eastern, so perhaps that is an indication of what lies ahead in your future.  Thirty years ago, they wouldn't even have thought of inviting the student body president to the board meeting.  I was lucky sometimes to get in to see the president.  We've come a long way on our campuses, and I think it's been a very healthy change because as your Chair pointed out, the purpose of the campus is the students.  It's not for the faculty; it's not for the administrators; it's not for the civil servants; it's not for anybody but for the students.  And I think it's very important that students do have a say and are involved in the process.  On the governing boards, student government leaders have an ongoing dialogue with the president and the administrators.  I think that's extremely important.  That's an area of real progress that has occurred on our campuses in the last 30 years.  So I'm very pleased to see you here.  Later this spring, I go back to Eastern to give the commencement address on my 30th anniversary of graduating.  (I was very young when I graduated.)  Much has happened in higher education, most of it for the good.  A governing board that represents Northern is here to concentrate on what it takes to make this a better university.

A little later we're going to go over and officially undertake the renovation of Altgeld Hall.  I think it's especially significant that we're taking the oldest building on campus, and we're not discarding it; we're renovating it.  We're preparing it for the 21st Century.  And that really is to me the essence of higher education.  It's an institution that deals with tradition, with history, with culture.  It preserves that.  But it is also an institution that should be in the forefront of change for the future.  I'll talk a little more about it over there, but I think it's very appropriate that we are not discarding the oldest building on campus, but are renovating it and preserving the tradition and all that has made this university such a great place for the past 100 years.  We're refitting it to prepare it for the 21st Century, just as this university will help prepare the people of Illinois for the 21st Century.

So, again, it's my pleasure to be back on campus here at Northern.  Regarding George's comment that maybe sometime I might be on the governing board, that will be up to the Governor.  And you never know what those governors might do.  But I would consider it quite an honor just to be able to sit with you men and women who have done such an outstanding job for this outstanding university.  Thank you very much.

The Chair then asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Siegel.  The motion was approved.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 2:30 p.m.
 

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon M. Mimms
Recording Secretary