Minutes of the Meeting of the
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
February 19, 1998

There was no report from the Executive Committee.

Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee

Committee Chair Susan Grans reported that the Committee met on January 22 and heard several reports that would be discussed in this meeting.  An in-depth progress report was given by Rosalie Hewitt and Gary Gresholdt on Task Force Recommendations on Improving the Undergraduate Experience.  This was a very informative presentation covering recruitment, orientation and the cooperation between the academic units and residence halls.  She said that the undergraduate experience for the students, the faculty, the administration and the campus life residential components is healthy, effective and very results-oriented at NIU.  Trustee Grans said the Committee was very impressed with the report and, though time did not permit the full synopsis, she wanted to let her fellow Trustees know that it was good stewardship and good direction that made this report come alive.  The Committee also asked to be provided with an update next year in order to stay in touch with the progress of the task force.  Trustee Sanchez said that as a former alumnus and as a Committee member, it was truly a breath of fresh air to see what a wonderful job the community is effectuating.  It is our children who will now be the beneficiaries of that, he said.

Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee

Committee Chair David Raymond reported that the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee met on February 6 and heard reports on the Periodic Report of Transactions in Excess of $100,000, the Annual Summary Report of All Transactions, the IBHE FY99 Operations and Grants Budget, a Bond Escrow Restructuring Report, the Altgeld Hall Renovation Project, a report on the 1996 Bond capital projects, and the FY99 Appropriated Capital Budget Request.  In addition, the Committee acted on the recommendations for the student fee and room and board rate schedules for FY99.  Trustee Raymond said he was pleased to see that these recommendations were developed through a collaborative process involving student representatives and university staff.  He said the final fee recommendations for Academic Year 1998-99 represented an average of approximately 3.5%, and room and board recommendations reflect the continued efforts to be responsive to student preferences, including options for various room and meal plans.  Other matters brought before the Committee included FY99 off-campus course delivery fee recommendations, contract renewals for the Huskie Bus system and the student accident and sickness insurance, a Business and Industry Services lease amendment and the Williston Hall remodeling project.  Trustee Raymond reported that the Committee had been privileged to welcome Dr. Keith Sanders, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, to their meeting.  Dr. Sanders briefly addressed the Committee and others in attendance.  He was very positive in his remarks, particularly regarding NIU. Trustee Raymond said the Trustees were very encouraged and looked forward to working with Dr. Sanders.  Chair Boey mentioned that there was a presentation on the Stevenson Tower renovation.  The popularity of the renovation of Stevenson Towers has been immensely well received by the student population.  Due to this renovation, he said, the sign-up for those rooms has been so rapid that they are running out of spaces to accommodate.  Student Trustee Kovacs said that the Stevenson Tower rooms were very highly requested, even though there is a higher cost, because the students think it is worth the extra cost.

Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee

Committee Chair George Moser said the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee met earlier that morning.  He stated that Governor Edgar delivered his Fiscal Year 1999 budget to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday.  On Tuesday, the Governor held a press conference at the Executive Mansion to announce his recommendations for the statewide higher education budget.  Trustee Moser said he was pleased to announce that the Governor upheld the Board of Higher Education's budget recommendations.

To recognize the fact that Governor Jim Edgar had made a lasting and significant impact on public higher education in Illinois, the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee voted to create an award honoring him for his monumental impact on public higher education in Illinois during his tenure as Governor.  The award will be called the "Jim Edgar Award for Excellence in Higher Education."  It was created as a permanent award to be given periodically to any individual who the Committee feels has had a lasting and significant impact on public higher education in Illinois.  It will not be an annual award and will be reserved for the most significant achievements on behalf of public higher education.  Following discussions regarding the creation of the award itself, the Committee voted to select Governor Edgar as the first recipient of the award.  Trustee Moser said arrangements would be made with the Governor's Office to present the award at an appropriate time in the coming weeks.

The Committee also discussed the university's FY99 budget request as recommended by the Governor and the appropriations schedule for the spring.  The procurement reform legislation discussed at the November meeting was signed into law as of February 6.  Finally, the Committee heard a report on federal legislation, House Resolution 3127, the Hope Scholarship and Lifelong Learning Tax Credits, introduced by Congressman Don Manzullo and cosponsored by Congressman Denny Hastert.  Implementation problems for universities and colleges across the country, both public and private, were discussed in the November meeting.  President La Tourette and Kathy Swanson led the lobbying effort to repeal the requirement that colleges and universities collect taxpayer data for the IRS.  Congressman Manzullo introduced legislation to that effect and most of the national higher education lobbying arms are supporting him in that effort.

Illinois Board of Higher Education

Chair Boey said that recently he and President La Tourette had the pleasure of spending an evening with Dr. Keith Sanders, the new Executive Director of IBHE.  We were glad we had his full attention for two or three hours and took advantage of that fact to share our concerns and opinions with him.  Chair Boey said Dr. Sanders uses terms like entrepreneurship, return on investment, streamline the budgeting process, all the things that this Board has been saying.  Coming from a background with campus experience will help him understand the obstacles faced on each of the public university campuses.  We had a wonderful visit with him, Chair Boey said, and the next day he attended the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee Meeting.

President La Tourette called the Board's attention to an article about Dr. Sanders' visit to the campus written by Melanie Magara in the February 16 issue of Northern Today.  Evidence is seen there of what Chair Boey was referring to, he said, relative to the high esteem in which he holds not only this Board, but also the university, and his general philosophy about education and the budget process.  When he joined us for the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee Meeting on February 6, Dr. La Tourette said, we indicated that we are extremely pleased with his appointment and his receptivity to making changes that will improve the quality of education not only here at Northern Illinois University, but throughout the state.  He indicated that he was committed to helping the universities be more responsive and more efficient in responses to the changing higher education needs of the state, particularly in the delivery of educational programs to students.  He is faculty- and student-oriented, President La Tourette said.  He has served not only as a faculty member, but also as a dean and a chancellor in the Wisconsin system.  He served in the central office in Madison, Wisconsin and has a good background in interfacing with the legislature and the Governor's Office.  When the Governor announced the budget support for higher education at the press conference, it was apparent that he recognized the qualities we see in Keith Sanders, Dr. La Tourette said.  Dr. Sanders' appointment became effective on January 6 when the Board of Higher Education met and confirmed his appointment.

The President also announced that Dr. Bob Kustra had received an invitation to be President of Eastern Kentucky University from its board and had accepted the position effective July 1, 1998.  Dr. Kustra will remain as Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education until June 30.  President La Tourette said the appointment of Bob Kustra was ideal because he holds a doctoral degree in public administration and is very familiar with the role of being a faculty member, having taught at several Illinois institutions, both public and private.  In conversation at the recent press conference, President La Tourette said Dr. Kustra talked about the importance of higher education in uplifting that region and improving the quality not only of the undergraduate experience for students coming to Eastern Kentucky but improving the whole public education system in that region.  President La Tourette said Dr. Kustra was an ideal person for this appointment and welcomed him as a fellow president.  Northern Illinois University is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, as is Eastern Kentucky University, Dr. La Tourette said, so, I will be losing a colleague in a sense, but will gain him as a colleague in another form.

President La Tourette said the Governor accepted the recommendations forwarded from the Board of Higher Education as reported earlier by Trustee Moser.  The President highlighted two matters from the budget.  First, the request for the higher education budget was an increase of $134 million in operating funds from the state, which is an approximate 4.5% increase on the average for the public universities.  This is the largest increase that has been recommended by Governor Edgar in recent years.  Previous increases have run more in the range of 3% to 4%.  Regarding capital projects, President La Tourette said the public universities and community colleges were fortunate to receive between $110 and $120 million for capital projects.  This year, the Governor recommended a capital project list of $145 million, which includes Phases II and III of NIU's storm water management project.  Dr. La Tourette reported that the Governor was very upbeat in his presentation at the press conference.  The Governor talked about the financial difficulties of the late 1980s and early 1990s.  He came into the governorship with a situation where state bills were being paid after six or seven months of delay, but everything is now up to date.  The Governor projected that if this budget passes, there would be an approximate $750 million reserve available on June 30, 1999 to make sure the state is in a good financial position.

Dr. La Tourette said that the Governor had clearly indicated his commitment to education in general by doing a great deal for public education and for higher education.  The President said two important changes, having an independent board for each institution and the bill to allow universities to retain the income fund, were bills that stood out as changes in the 20th Century.  They set the state for a stronger Illinois system of higher education in the public sector, he said, to deal with the rapid changes coming in the 21st Century.

Dr. La Tourette showed a copy of the state budget in its entirety.  He said this budget begins to recognize that the income fund is separate.  The way it is presented shows the increase from $98 million to $101 million in state support and keeps the income fund separate, he said, as was intended with this legislation.  He said the Governor's Office had made the move to recognize the separate status of the income fund and felt the Illinois Board of Higher Education would do so in their next set of recommendations.

The Governor's budget recommendation is a very positive step, the President said, it now has more than three months to be passed by the legislature and be sent to the Governor for signature.  Dr. La Tourette said it was mentioned or implied in the Northern Star that approval had been received for the library basement buildout.  The buildout was not included in this set of recommendations, but the President was hopeful that, as the university's next highest priority, it would be high on the list of next year's budget.  The funding for the library buildout is an essential project in order to have the space for students to study and have the materials they need available in that library in the future.  Funding was received for Altgeld Hall.  This budget recommends the funding of the storm water retention and control project.  Trustee Moser mentioned Senate Bill 770, the university development issue passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Edgar, as another of the Governor's important contributions to higher education.

Chair Boey stated the reason it is important to keep the income fund separate from the state fund is that the income fund is generated locally from tuition fees.  Grouping it all in the state fund, he said, gives the perception that it all comes from the state, so it is important to separate the two to make it clear exactly what funding increases are coming from the state and which from the university's income fund.

After a brief discussion, Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the establishment of the Jim Edgar Award for Excellence in Higher Education created by the Legislation, Audit and External Affairs Committee and to approve presentation of the award to Governor Jim Edgar as its first recipient.  Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Myles.  The motion was approved.

University Civil Service Merit Board

Trustee Myles reported that the Civil Service Merit Board met in Urbana on January 29.  There were quite a few terminations from other universities, but NIU had no cases pending.

Northern Illinois University Foundation
Mr. Mike Malone, Interim Vice President for Development and University Relations, gave three updates. The first distributions of the annual fund to colleges and department accounts were made in January from the new NIU Telefund Center.  The alumni segment calling for the College of Business and the College of Visual and Performing Arts is completed.  The College of Education and the College of Health and Human Sciences were being called at that time.  At the end of January, more than 5,700 alumni had responded, including more than 1,500 new donors.  On February 5, Mr. Malone and some other members of the development team met with all of the department chairs to discuss stewardship of those dollars.

The Foundation Board of Directors met on Wednesday, March 18, and approved two grants.  An $8,000 grant was approved to support graduate students for summer research in Russia under the direction of Professor Bruce Lincoln, NIU's own nationally-renowned Russian History Scholar, and a $25,000 grant was made to equip a nursing practice room in the School of Nursing with up-to-date equipment so that student nurses would have an opportunity to train with the best equipment available before they go to their clinical practice sites.

A nationwide search for an Associate Vice President for Development and Chief Development Officer concluded with the appointment of Mallory M. Simpson, a 22-year veteran in the field of fund raising.  Ms. Simpson was the unanimous choice of the search committee and the various groups she met with during her on-campus interviews.  Ms. Simpson's extensive development background includes major roles in four comprehensive capital campaigns with goals ranging from $27 million to one billion dollars.  She spent 18 years in successively more senior positions at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and two years at Syracuse University, where she was Senior Director of Development for Major Gifts, a position in which she led the efforts to dramatically increase the pool of major gift prospects during the school's first major capital campaign.

President La Tourette said he was extremely pleased with the appointment of Ms. Simpson, who was the overwhelming choice of the search committee and the various campus groups that interviewed her.  Both Mr. Malone and other staff thought NIU was very fortunate to attract a person of her talent.  The President also mentioned that the university was well served by the consulting firm of Gonzo, Gerber, Tinker and Shaw on development strategy and they were very instrumental in helping to identify candidates of Ms. Simpson's caliber.  In fact, he said, there was another person identified in this search process who it was hoped could also be appointed to another university position.  President La Tourette said he would be completing the process of moving the vice president's position from an interim appointment to a permanent appointment as soon as possible.

Trustee Sanchez commented that during this interim period without a development director, the likelihood of having dramatic downturns and negative developments in this area was almost inevitable.  Not only has that not happened, he said, but in the interim, the development area has been very well maintained and the university has benefited.  Trustee Sanchez said he wanted the record to note that he agreed with the President's decision to look at changing these interim appointments to permanent appointments, because he was very pleased with the job that has been done in the interim period.

In April 1997, Trustee Myles was the convener of the Fourth Annual African-American Leadership Conference, but had to leave prior to the conclusion of the conference, so he was not available for an award presentation when that conference ended.  Dr. La Tourette presented the award to Trustee Myles for his active work and leadership.  He presented it with the warm-hearted feeling of the students who benefited from that conference and from Trustee Myles' interest in providing access for all the people in northern Illinois to NIU.  Trustee Myles thanked Dr. La Tourette for the award and said that he had been drafted again for this year's conference, which would run April 1 through April 3.  He said he had learned to appreciate his tenure on the Board of Trustees as well as the Board of Regents.  This is my last term on the Board of Trustees, and if not reappointed, Trustee Myles said, I can honestly say I feel within myself that I have done the best I could and hope I have made an impact.

This item, forwarded from the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee, involves the extension of one of two leases in the same building for the Business and Industry Services program so there will be a single termination date.  The amendment changes the lease termination date from August 31, 1998 to February 28, 1999.  Approval of the lease amendment was requested to assure this space to BIS through the end of February 1999.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Grans.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(2) – Williston Hall Remodeling Project

Williston Hall will be the permanent location for Registration and Records and this project will allow them to be fully up and running by the end of this calendar year to avoid having any downtime in servicing students.  The university's plans are to consolidate the services supplied in the complex of Swen Parson, Williston and Adams Halls, President La Tourette said, and to have them as close as possible to the Campus Life facility for those who might have to visit more than one office to conclude their business.  The university requested Board of Trustees approval to establish a total project budget of $960,100 for the remodeling of Williston Hall second and third floors.

Agenda Item 8.a.(2)(a) – Williston Hall Remodeling – Second and Third Floors

Anderson Mahaffey Architects of St. Charles, were selected to be the architectural and engineering firm to handle the remodeling of the second and third floors in Williston Hall.  Approval was requested to hire the firm of Anderson Mahaffey Architects for the remodeling of Williston Hall.

Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the above requests for the remodeling of Williston Hall.  Trustee Moser so moved, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(3) – FY99 Student Fee Recommendations

The fee percentage increase being recommended by the university was an aggregate percentage of 3.5%.  Dr. La Tourette said working with the student government, students and various constituencies through this process to bring the various campus activities together and to agree on a reasonable set of recommendations was even more successful than last year, not only maintaining, but increasing the quality of service in some cases at a very reasonable rate.  Student Trustee Kovacs said he applauded the President and his administration for the work they had done in bringing these matters to the students well in advance of consideration by the Board so changes could be made from input received from the students.  Chair Boey thanked Student Trustee Kovacs and said that he had also been a great help to the Board through this whole process.  President La Tourette complimented Student Trustee Kovacs, Student Association President Beth Hull and all the students involved in this fee process.  The Student Association took this on as a team effort and was able to arrive at very good recommendations reflecting student needs and keeping down costs, he said.  Trustee Moser moved to approve the requested FY99 student fee recommendations, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(4) – FY99 Off-Campus Course Delivery Fee Recommendations

This item covered two fee increase recommendations.  The first request was to raise the standard per-credit-hour off-campus delivery fee from $30 to $35 per credit hour.  The other request is to raise the corresponding cost for the MBA program from $137 to $150 per credit hour.  These are the fees that enable the university to deliver these courses off campus.  President La Tourette said that Dr. Keith Sanders was quite surprised that NIU was able to take its very strong programs off campus at these kinds of rates.  Dr. Sanders has asked President La Tourette to write a paper articulating his view of the financial side of off-campus programming with the objective that Dr. Sanders may be able to help NIU expand its off-campus offerings to serve more students.  President La Tourette asked the Board to approve these fees that enable the university to offer these courses to students who cannot come to the campus at the same high quality experienced by the students taking the same courses on campus.  Trustee Siegel made a motion to approve the off-campus course delivery fee recommendations, seconded by Trustee Grans.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(5) – FY99 Room and Board Rate Recommendations

Mike Coakley, Director of Housing and Dining Services, made a presentation at the Finance, Facilities Committee meeting.  Mr. Coakley provided a copy of Mid-American Conference institution rankings that show where NIU costs were compared to the other MAC institutions. Out of thirteen institutions, NIU ranks twelfth in combined room and board rates and eleventh in double room rates.  In the lowest required board plan, NIU ranks eighth out of thirteen schools and twelfth in the highest available board plan.  The cost of a combined room and board rate at NIU is $3,910 dollars a year.  The only institution below that rate is Central Michigan at $3,790, and the highest is Bowling Green State University at $4,890, almost a thousand dollars higher than NIU.  President La Tourette said that is a remarkable record and shows how well our facilities have been managed, even with the very large bond obligation undertaken to bring the West Campus up to date.  Trustee Siegel asked if NIU was competitive in its per-credit-hour charge for off-campus course delivery.  President La Tourette said that NIU's rates were more than competitive.  He cited NIU's MBA program as an example.  The cost for the MBA program at NIU is around $600 per course.  At most of the competitive institutions, it is between $1,000 to $1,100 per course.  The President requested the Board to approve the FY99 room and board rate recommendations.  Trustee Grans so moved, seconded by Trustee Myles.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(6) – Huskie Bus Contract – FY99 Renewal

This item represented the FY99 renewal of a four-year contract the university entered into with the provider, ACT/VANCOM Transportation Company, in April 1996.  To respond to a question from Trustee Sanchez, President La Tourette explained that the 7% contingency covered adjustments for the cost of fuel and any other such contingencies that cannot be predicted right now.  Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the FY99 renewal of the Huskie Bus contract.  Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Sanchez.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(7) – Student Accident and Sickness Insurance – FY99 Contract Renewal

This program contract is held with The Chickering Group, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  It requests the authority not exceed $4 million to carry out that program.  President La Tourette said that the university is looking at the insurance coverage in one area to see if it can be improved.  If that can be accomplished, the university hopes to include that coverage without any adjustment to this $4 million.  If that amount were exceeded, the item would be brought back to the Board  for approval.  This program is for eligible students who are not otherwise covered by family insurance programs.  This request is an authority to expend the funds collected as students sign up for the program.  Dr. La Tourette said that this program has been kept at very affordable levels and noted that the requested increase is only from $276 to $280.50.  Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the FY99 student accident and sickness insurance contract renewal.  Trustee Moser so moved, seconded by Trustee Sanchez.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(8) – Request for New Emphasis Within a Degree Program

This item was forwarded from the Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee.  This is an emphasis in applied sociology within two degree programs – the B.A. and the B.S. in Sociology.  This program does not require any additional resources.  The proposed curricular package consisted of existing courses.  Dr. La Tourette explained that students have been packaging this course on their own because it fits their needs.  President La Tourette requested Board approval of this emphasis in applied sociology.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Grans.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.a.(9) – Request for New Degree Designation
Agenda Item 8.a.(10) – Request to Delete Existing Emphases

Since these two items were related, they were considered together.  The first was to allow a new degree designation, Bachelor of Arts in Geography, to join the bachelor of science degree program.  The second item was to delete the Emphases in Applied Geography and Natural Environmental Systems within the bachelor of science program in geography.  This is a result of the university's program review process, as well as an attempt to keep curricular programs up to date to reflect student needs.  President La Tourette asked that these two items, the addition of the Bachelor of Arts in Geography and the deletion of the two emphases, be approved together.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Myles.  The motion was approved.

The Periodic Summary Report of Transactions shows the number of transactions between $100,000 and $250,000 that the President has approved through the delegation of authority from the Board.  Over the almost five-month period of August 16 through December 31, 1997, there were six items approved by the President, amounting to just under $900,000.

Agenda Item 8.b.(2) – Annual Summary Report of Transactions

This item was a categorized summary of transactions from January 1 through December 31, 1997.  Dr. La Tourette said purchases/professional services showed just over 15,000 transactions under $100,000 were approved for a total of just over $40 million.  There were only 36 transactions over $250,000 that came to the Board for just under $28 million.  Similar comments could be made about leases and capital projects.  Basically, Dr. La Tourette said, the university has very effectively streamlined, its decision making about transactions and brings to the Board those that are most significant and involve funds above $250,000.  The President said this demonstrates that the intent of the Board to streamline operations and to have appropriate oversight, yet to delegate authority where appropriate, has been very successful, reserving to the Board those major items that require a great deal of expenditure for individual projects.

Agenda Item 8.b.(3) – IBHE FY99 Operating Budget Recommendations

This item was a review of the Illinois Board of Higher Education budget recommendations.  It was discussed in some detail earlier in this meeting and at the Committee meetings.  Both the operating budgets and a comparison between current year operations and the recommended budgets for FY99 were detailed in the meeting materials.

Agenda Item 8.b.(4) – Bond Escrow Restructuring Report

President La Tourette said the university had been able to restructure its transactions in a way that would allow NIU to save approximately $100,000 on a one-time basis.  This is a cost reduction in which Kathy Shinham, Associate Vice President for Finance and Facilities, has been very heavily involved.  Dr. La Tourette said that her work is very much appreciated and has given the university the talent to help university operations.

Agenda Item 8.b.(5) – Altgeld Renovation Project

There was a great deal of discussion about this project during the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee Meeting.  The campus is preparing to move operations out of Altgeld Hall, to permanent facilities in some cases, such as Registration and Records, which is moving to Williston Hall.  In other cases, preparation is being made for temporary moves to Gilbert Hall in order to continue with the work on Altgeld Hall.  President La Tourette said that Chair Boey, Kathy Swanson and he talked to the Governor's staff when they were in Springfield on Tuesday about the Governor coming to the NIU campus to release the funds for Altgeld.  Governor Altgeld came to commemorate the laying of the foundation on October 1, 1895 when Altgeld Hall was built, President La Tourette said, so it would be nice to have the Governor come and have a ceremony for the release of the renovation funding.  This would also be a good opportunity for the Governor to receive the recognition the Legislation Committee has bestowed upon him.  Trustee Grans said that this building is such a symbol for the university that having the Governor here at the beginning of its renovation would make it a very nice occasion for NIU.  An extensive report on how all of this was to be orchestrated was given in the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee, she said, and she thanked the staff for the work they were doing in coordinating the various phases of the project.

Agenda Item 8.b.(6) – 1996 Bond Series Capital Project Report

The 1996 Bond Series Capital Project report listed various projects funded through the 1996 Bond issue.  The Campus Child Care Facility is currently over budget and being reviewed in an effort to reduce project costs.  Project completion is targeted for Spring or Summer 1999.  The Center for University Resources for Latinos and Latin American Studies is also over budget.  The university is reviewing whether it should rebid the project or fully redesign the program given the cost associated with the existing plan.

Favorable weather conditions through the Fall allowed excellent construction progress for Phase I of the West Campus site improvements.  Work ceased during December, but is expected to resume in early April and the project is scheduled for completion in Fall 1998.  All construction contracts have been executed for Phase I of the Stevenson Towers Renovation project.  Construction and equipment acquisition were both on schedule for August 1998 completion at the time of this meeting.

Agenda Item 8.b.(7) – FY99 Capital Budget for Appropriated Funds – IBHE Recommendation Comparison

The table on page 37 showed the Altgeld Hall Renovation as the university's top priority.  The Altgeld Hall renovation has been funded and the university is now awaiting release of the funds.  The storm waterway project is being recommended by the Governor for FY99.  The Founders Library basement buildout was indicated as priority 3 on NIU's list.  The Board of Higher Education recommended 34 projects.  The Governor cut the list off at number 20 and funded planning money for numbers 21 and 22.  The list of $145 million in projects, Dr. La Tourette said, was $20 to $30 million higher than experienced in past years.  The capital budget recommendations were very good ones not only for NIU, he said, but for all the public universities and the community colleges.

Agenda Item 8.b.(8) – Annual Oral English Proficiency Report – 1997

The state of Illinois requires that all classroom instructors at public higher education institutions be able to communicate effectively in the English language.  Students are requested to communicate concerns about the oral English proficiency of their instructors to the chair of the department in which the course is offered or to the Ombudsman, who will work with the department to resolve the matter.  The President reported that there were only four complaints listed on this report for Academic Year 1996-97, and all were resolved.

Agenda Item 8.b.(9) – Recommendations of the Task Force on Improving the Undergraduate
                                           Experience – Progress Report

Dr. La Tourette said that it was Trustee Sanchez, who had commented extensively on the Task Force report, "Improving the Undergraduate Experience," in the Academic Affairs Committee Meeting held January 22.  Trustee Sanchez said the university is very pleased with the progress being made to enable students to have a total education experience on campus, not only in the classroom, laboratory and library, but in the residence hall and wherever students work and study on campus.  Student Trustee Kovacs echoed those sentiments.  President La Tourette said he was pleased with the leadership of the Provost's Office and those in the Academic Affairs and the Student Affairs areas who have strengthened this student experience and put NIU so far ahead of other universities.  He recognized everyone involved in the Provost's effort to make improvements to increase the effectiveness and the strength of the learning programs at NIU.  Trustee Sanchez pointed out that it was not long ago concern was raised about whether the students would benefit or lose out from bringing the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs areas together.  This report, he said, made it quite clear that the synergies from bringing the two areas together have worked out unbelievably well for everybody – the faculty, the students and parents of students.

President La Tourette gave the recommendation of tenure to complement the appointment of Donald C. Menzel to the position of Professor of Political Science/Public Administration and Director of the division of Public Administration.  The President said he had received enthusiastic letters from the Alumni Association of the Public Administration program and various other practitioners in the field who are alums and have taken an interest in this appointment.  This recommendation is being made to replace Jim Banovetz, who has established himself as one of the leading people in public administration in the nation and who has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report for NIU's program and its national reputation.  President La Tourette said he believed Dr. Menzel had the leadership to continue the kind of record NIU has been known for in this program.  President La Tourette asked the Board to approve this initial appointment with tenure effective July 1 on his very strong and enthusiastic endorsement.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Siegel.  The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 8.c.(2) – Summary of Grant and Contract Awards

The President stated that the university had received just over $17 million in grants and contracts.  He said the university should equal, if not exceed, last year's generation of grants and contracts.  It is important to recognize that this requires a lot of work on the part of NIU's faculty and staff in the highly competitive process used to select and award grants for research and other activities, President La Tourette said.

Chair Boey asked for a motion to approve the Amendment to this section of the Board of Trustees Regulations referring to accumulative sick leave.  The amendment was recommended to conform with changes made in Public Act 90-65 effective January 1, 1998.  Trustee Siegel so moved, seconded by Trustee Sanchez.  The motion was approved.

Chair Boey asked for a motion to adjourn.  Trustee Sanchez so moved, seconded by Trustee Raymond.  The motion was approved.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:57 p.m.
 

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon M. Mimms
Recording Secretary