Minutes of the
NIU Board of Trustees
Finance, Facilities and Operations Commitee

September 6, 2000

Agenda Item 6.b. - Fiscal Year 2002 Nonappropriated Capital Budget
As required by the Board, Dr. Williams said, the university places in priority order capital projects that would be funded primarily from bond revenue funds. These projects are primarily in such areas as the residence halls, athletic facilities and Holmes Student Center. The number one project listed is the Evans Field House renovation, which was part of the total convocation center project. As part of that concept, the Board made a commitment to renovate Evans Field House for recreation. This project fulfills that commitment, Dr. Williams said, and provides a little over $2 million for the renovation. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion endorsing the FY02 nonappropriated capital budget. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.c. - Fiscal Year 2001 Internal Budget
Pursuant to Board Regulations, Dr. Williams said, the university presents to the Board, for approval, the specific internal budget for the given fiscal year. This budget reflects the actions of the General Assembly and the Governor and reflects both the appropriated and nonappropriated university budgets. The source of funds was provided in a list on page 19 of the report, which showed the overall budget for the university to be right under $300 million. In the subsequent tables, a delineation was made of the appropriated budget and the total budget by object classification. Dr. Williams noted that the Income Fund was identified as a nonappropriated fund source. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse the FY01 internal budget. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.d. - Lock Box and Related Banking Services
Because the university has now opened the Naperville facility, Dr. Williams said, we have a need for banking services in that area so that various financial transactions, including the collection of checks and receipts, can be deposited in a bank convenient to the location of the Naperville facility. Additionally, the university recommends contracting for lock box services to gain efficiencies in processing receipts. I want people to take note, Chair Sanchez said, that this is a $300 million operation, so we are talking about a very significant financial concern. Even though some might consider things like lock boxes and bank services de minimis, he said, these are things that are part and parcel of running this university. As we expand into Naperville, and into other areas later, that same standard of excellence in fiscal responsibility definitely will be pursued and realized at this university. Adding to what the Chair said, Trustee Boey commented, it is a $300 million operation and our biggest asset in that is $92 million worth of personnel services. For those who look at the university budget and imagine it is for $300 million worth of equipment, or to replace buildings, that is simply not so. Our biggest asset is in the human side of it, he said, and I think it is important to bring that out. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse a lock box and related banking services with Northern Trust Company. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.e. - Report on the PeopleSoft Financial System Implementation and Recommended Revision of the Human Resources PeopleSoft Implementation
Agenda Item 6.e. provides a status report on the PeopleSoft financial system. We are very pleased to report to you that the implementation of the financial system has been completed, Dr. Williams said. The final cost numbers are in. It is an excellent story and an excellent effort on the part of the university staff. Dr. Williams asked Mr. Steve Pace, who was project director, to give a brief overview of the results of this implementation.

While Steve is walking to the podium, Chair Sanchez said, I want to recognize the presence of someone who is probably one of our biggest supporters in Springfield and makes a difference for this institution, and that is State Representative David Wirsing. Thank you, Dave, for joining us.

This was probably one of the largest information systems projects this institution has undertaken, Mr. Pace said. I would like to read you a letter that I read at the kickoff meeting to the users for this project.

          January 31, 1829
 

To: President Jackson
 

The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as railroads. The federal government must preserve the canals for the following reasons:
 

1) If canal boats are supplemented by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen and lock tenders will be left without livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed in growing hay for horses.

2) Boat builders will suffer, and tow line, whip and harness makers would be left destitute.

3) Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States. In the event of unexpected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could ever move supplies so vital at waging modern warfare.
 

As you may well know Mr. President, railroad carriages are pulled at an enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by engines which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through countrysides setting fire to crops, scaring livestock and frightening our women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.
 

Martin VanBuren

Governor of New York

I think the biggest challenge we faced in this project was change, Mr. Pace went on to say, change in the way we do business, change in the technology we use to do business. We have a group of people as part of this project who understood that change was essential and rose to the challenge to make it happen. He asked the people who participated in this project to stand. One change we had to deal with was a change in roles, Mr. Pace said. What jobs do people do? Things that computer programmer developers used to do, the functional people are now doing. Things that some other developers would do, the database administrators now do. Other things that the accounting office would do, people in the field now do themselves. The change of technology -- we moved from, effectively, a punch card system for the GAS system, he said, to a client server technology using the infrastructure that was already in place at the university. We changed business processes. Our motto was "Define the problem out of existence, don't solve it." Look at the way we do business. Do we really have to do business that way? There is nothing sacred about the way we do things other than what is legally required and regulatory. Beyond that, we can change the way we do business. The success of this project was essentially due to the support of Dr. Eddie Williams, our Senior Vice President, and Ms. Kathe Shinham, our project sponsor. Without the support of those two people, Mr. Pace said, we would have failed. There were many times that we had difficult decisions to make, and they stood behind us despite some of those difficulties.

The steering committee -- Kathe Shinham; Associate Vice President Bob Albanese; Keith Jackson, Controller; Linda Timm, Chief Accountant; Bernie Tallman, Director of Administrative Information Systems; Kim Hensley, Director of Technical Support; Sharon Dowen, Internal Audit; and Al Mueller from HRS -- were essential in keeping the project on target and minimizing the modifications that were made to the system. Through the lack of modifications to the system, we were able to upgrade new releases with very little difficulty. In fact, Mr. Pace reported, the whole process, after we had finished all the testing, went over a weekend. We developed a project room where people, the developers, the functional people and the consultants all lived and worked in the same place.

All of the people in this project were essential, Mr. Pace said, but others really rose to the challenge. He then recognized some of the key people involved in the project: Abbie Chemers, assistant project director; Keith Jackson, Controller; Linda Timm, Chief Accountant; June Bocklund, Victoria Peel, Ted Bachman, Linda Babcock and Adrienne Arhos, Accounting; Dianna Strink, Budget Office; Marie Schlieben, Accounts Receivable; Sue Doubler, Purchasing; Sharon Dowen and her Auditing staff; Kim Hensely and John Kirk, Technical Services; Judy Dreska and Irene Sanderson, Administrative Information Systems; Dave Gersic and Tim Webster, Systems; and Mike Olenek, who was essential in the 7.0 upgrade, was essential in getting the database tuned. Previously our reports were taking a week to run on 15 servers. That is now down to an hour and 40 minutes on four servers. We had processes that were taking nine hours that are now down to three minutes, he reported, just by knowing how to tune the database. It had nothing to do with PeopleSoft, but everything to do with knowing how to tune the database.

One of the novel things we have done with this project, Mr. Pace said, is to automate the deployment of the PeopleSoft software. Traditionally, one goes around to people's desks and inserts a CD and installs the software. With PeopleSoft it takes anywhere from two to four hours to do per station. We developed an automated installation process, he explained, and the last time I tested it, it took two minutes and 30 seconds. The financial system was $566,000, or about 18%, under budget. We currently have a cash position of about $842,000, or 27%, under the budget of $3.1 million. The current system has about 200 on-line users. We have developed web deployable reports. We are continuing to tune the database and are in the midst of upgrading from the 7.0 to 7.5 release.

PeopleSoft has received a lot of bad press in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Mr. Pace went on to say. In most cases it is because projects are not properly managed from the standpoint of wanting too much change in the system and then finding out that they cannot manage it after they have changed it — trying to do too much at one time. Some institutions have tried to do financials, HR and students all at one time. There is only so much organizational energy that you have, and if you go beyond that point, you cannot succeed. I am very proud of the people who were involved in this project. I think we have been successful in biting off what we can chew and moving forward, he concluded.

Rarely, if ever as Chair, have I had the pleasure of receiving a report like that, Chair Sanchez said, where you have that kind of savings under budget amplified by the fact that we were able to get interest on the savings of the magnitude we did. Congratulations to all of you. Thank you from the Board of Trustees and this Committee for a job well done. You ought to be very proud of what you have accomplished here, he said. In years to come, people will appreciate that. Just hearing some of the examples of the difference we are realizing already, I think it is an awesome feat.

I would just like to thank our group, President Peters said. NIU People are the best. I have had some experience with these systems at other institutions, and this is unprecedented given the project and the amount of time. Now we have to move on to other elements within the enterprise system, and our group is up to the challenge.

Chair Sanchez recognized UAC Representatives James Lockard and Richard Becker and thanked them for their participation. 

I, too, would like to echo the words of our President, Dr. Williams said. The staff has been tremendous in this undertaking. Now I would like to comment on the PeopleSoft Human Resource System. When we negotiated the contract for the purchase of the Financial System, as the Board will recall, we included an option to purchase the Human Resource module, which was totally compatible with the Financial System. By making that option a part of the contract, Dr. Williams said, we have essentially realized a $1.2 million savings over the next ten years. So, having it as an option in the original finance contract has paid off already. The Board approved the budget amount and the project earlier in this year, and implementation of the Human Resource System has begun. Regrettably, the project has not kept pace with the established schedule. There are several reasons for that. Due to other staff responsibilities and duties, Dr. Williams explained, at various points along the development of the system, we could not allocate the necessary resources, both human and otherwise, required to maintain the schedule and to achieve the original goals of the project. Fortunately, this problem was called to our attention, and working with staff and Mr. Steve Cunningham, we now have the project back on track. We have made a full evaluation of what is necessary in order for us to meet our target date and our objectives for the Human Resource System, he continued, and everyone who has been involved in this project has agreed to put forth the necessary resources to do it.

Dr. Williams met with the university’s consultant firm, DigiTerra, and invited one of their vice presidents to come meet with him regarding their contract and their participation in this project. I was very pleased with the support and the effort on the part of the consultants to make sure that this project would be successful, he said. Not only did they agree to provide additional resources, they sent a team of six of their top people to the campus to totally evaluate the status of the project, to make specific recommendations on what is necessary to make sure that this project will move forward and meet target dates. They also agreed to reduce their consultant fees. This gives us a full participating partner, Dr. Williams said. I wanted to emphasize to them that this is not just an NIU project, but they too have a stake in this as part of our project team. This item provides for the additional consultant services necessary to meet the targeted schedule and objectives.

The Human Resource project represents substantial growth of the enterprise system on a universitywide basis, Steve Cunningham said. Northern would be the first public university in the state to have brought a modern enterprise system this far along. The projected timetable for completion of the HR system is April or May, 2001. With this item, we are taking the steps to put the needed resources into the project to maintain that schedule. We have also more than doubled the internal resources assigned to the project, he said. I would like to recognize some of the people who are here today, who, as Steve Pace mentioned, are truly going way above and beyond the normal call of duty: Bernie Tallman, Director of Administrative Information Services; Kim Hensley, project manager from Technical Services; Steve Pace, assistant project manager; Al Mueller, Director of Information Systems in Human Resources and project coordinator; Deanna Sexton, Contracts, Records and Reports in Human Resources; Kathy Smith, Assistant Manager, Payroll; and Deborah Velez, Insurance and Benefits. There are also several technical people who are actually building the system. Craig Williams, John Highland and Georgetta Morosanu. Sharon Dowen from Internal Audit and Dan House from Institutional Research have also played important roles in this project.

Trustee Boey asked Mr. Cunningham to tell the Trustees the a single most important impact the Human Resource System will have. Mr. Cunningham stated that the system will in a very organized and detailed way, fully track the obligation of all Human Resource information, including employee information, their benefit selections, their amounts of pay, changes in pay and promotions; it will track history; and then it will link those obligations into the financial management system so that we can very precisely track, monitor, report and project what our obligations are with respect to any changes in personnel. It will also improve the tracking of health insurance options. The CMS health insurance system has about 50 permutations of various dependent and other options, and each one of those has to be built into the system as a record it can interact with. That will all be integrated in a way it never has been in the past, he said.

I was amazed to learn that over 8,000 employees and students are part of what we just lumped together as the Human Resource System, Chair Sanchez said. That is a significant number of people who are dependent upon us trying to efficiently deal with records and the linkage between the Finance and Human Resources sides. This is another gigantic project, he said, and I am proud of the fact that it is Northern Illinois University that will probably again create the paradigm for the rest of the higher education institutions in this state and perhaps for the country. As a student here 30 some years ago, Chair Sanchez commented, I had no idea that there were people like those in the audience here who even at that point were making this university run. I am now, as a Trustee, just beginning to sample the kind of talent, the kind of treasures that we have here at Northern Illinois University and the benefits that we gain from the human capital that makes up this institution. As Chair of this Committee, he said, I thank each and every one of you and those individuals who are not here who make up this university and make it the successful academic institution of higher education that it is. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse the recommendation for the revision of the Human Resource System project. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Vella. The motion was approved.

Purchasing Items for Approval
Agenda Item 6.f.(1) - Huskie Bus Contract - Contract Extension
This is the first of a number of routine items that we normally review at this time, Dr. Williams stated. This is for the renewal of our Huskie Bus contract that was previously negotiated. Committee endorsement was requested. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion endorsing the Huskie Bus contract extension. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.f.(2) - Strategic Alliance to Advance Technological Education - College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Basically, Dr. Williams said, this is a consortium that provides training to teachers in the Rockford area in the math and science and technology areas. It is a very strong program, and we are very proud to be a part of it. This is a passthrough of dollars that come to us through a grant. Our College of Engineering and Engineering Technology has spearheaded this project, he said, and we ask your endorsement. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion endorsing the Strategic Alliance to Advance Technological Education through the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.f.(3) - OSHA Training Consultant - College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
This OSHA training program is also through the college of Engineering and Engineering Technology. It is also with a passthrough of dollars coming to the university through a grant. This is the first of two three-year contracts. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology OSHA training consultant. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.f.(4) - Internet Access Connection - Telecommunication Center
If you try to get on AOL, Dr. Williams said, there is great demand to access the Internet. Here on campus, it is the same. We are asking approval of a project that would allow us to increase the band width for the university so that we can accommodate more requests to access the Internet from our students and our faculty. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse Internet access connection for the Telecommunication Center. Trustee Skoien so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.g. - Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic Lease
Dr. Williams stated that the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee and the Board of Trustees, at their June meetings, approved the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic. At this time, he said, we have identified space for the clinic in the Rockford area.

On behalf of my family, Trustee Vella said, I would like to thank everyone who was responsible for the clinic, including Kathy Buettner and the administrative staff at NIU; Rep. Madigan, Rep. Scott, Rep. Wirsing and all the representatives from the Rockford/DeKalb/Sycamore area; and Dean Pernell and the NIU College of Law for all their hard work. I would also like to thank Dr. Williams and his staff who searched the Rockford area for the lease. We expect that the clinic will be up and running before the year 2001. On behalf of my family, I want to tell you how much I really appreciate it. My dad would have loved to have been a lawyer, Trustee Vella said, but he never had the chance to go to college or law school. So, I know he would be thrilled. And, it does further what I believe was one of his life themes, she said, trying to help people solve problems and cutting through red tape. I will be abstaining in the vote today. I do not have anything to do with this clinic or with the lease, but I do not want it to be perceived as a conflict of interest. Again, thanks to everyone for remembering my father in this very concrete and special way, she concluded.

I doubt that any person in this room would have a hard time identifying the kind of pride and joy you must have in having this kind of institution created in your father’s name, Chair Sanchez said. I think it is wonderful. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse a lease agreement for the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic in Rockford. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The Chair then called for a roll call vote on the motion.

The roll call vote was as follows:

     Trustee Robert Boey     Yes     Trustee Gary Skoien             Yes
     Chair Manuel Sanchez  Yes     Trustee Barbara Giorgi Vella  Abstain

The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.h. - Altgeld Renovation Project
We have, with the CDB, jointly analyzed this project, Dr. Williams said, and I have alerted you in previous meetings that we have incurred major problems with unforeseen conditions -- asbestos, foundation issues and so forth. We now have come to the point where we are working as a team -- the CDB and the university including our consultants, Turner Corporation. The Committee and the Board approved the university’s entering into a consultant contract with Turner Construction Company to provide additional expertise in analyzing the problems and the issues surrounding this building. As a result of this effort, he said, we have projected to the completion of the project a requirement of approximately $5 million. Kathy Buettner and I have talked with Kim Robinson, who is the Director of the CDB, Dr. Williams said, and we have spent some time talking to CDB staff regarding this project. We have also had an opportunity to brief Rep. Wirsing and others of our legislative representation about this situation. We are asking today that the Committee and, subsequently, the Board approve the university moving forward with the CDB to request additional funding for this project, he said. That request we would anticipate being made through the CDB since this is their project; but we will join with them in forwarding this need through the state legislature and to the Governor. 

I know the critics will always say that it is cheaper to build new than to renovate old, Trustee Boey said, but it also points out the fact that retaining your heritage is very expensive. This is the first structure in our history, and this is the right thing to do because you cannot rebuild your heritage.  If there was any building on this university campus that would warrant that kind of attention and that kind of fiscal commitment, Chair Sanchez agreed, it would be Altgeld Hall because it is Northern Illinois University’s signature building. Not having been a part of this, President Peters said, I think this institution would have done this, even at the additional cost. I am one who believe in historic preservation, and I think there are Altgeld Halls throughout the state of Illinois that have been, are and will be in some state of renovation. We have identified the issues, and we know what it is going to cost. The CDB has been great working with us, and they are going to carry this forward. It is time to move on and get it done, he said. In answer to a question from Trustee Vella, Chair Sanchez said maybe the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight and hopefully, with the cooperation of the CDB, we can get this renovation completed. Dr. Williams introduced Mr. Rick Zerring, the representative from the Turner Company, who is working with the university on the Altgeld renovation project. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse expenditure of the additional funds needed to complete the Altgeld renovation project. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Skoien. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.i. - Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault - Capital Project Approval
Dr. Eddie Williams asked Ms. Kathryn Buettner to present this item to the Committee.

The Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault at Northern Illinois University has an established reputation for preeminence in basic research on the causes of family violence and sexual assault, Ms. Buettner said. The center is directed by Dr. Joel Milner. It has received almost $6 million in external contracts and grants over the last five years. Speaker Hastert and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health toured the NIU facility last August. The facility Dr. Milner has to work with is very small and cramped. As a result of that tour, the Speaker's Office, the President's Office and Dr. Milner have been working very closely over the last year to determine whether funds are available at the federal level to construct a proper laboratory and research facility so that Dr. Milner can continue this important research in family violence and sexual assault. I am very pleased to report to you, Ms. Buettner said, that we have just received notification that the university has received a grant from the Health and Human Services Administration Health Resource Services office, in the amount of $2.7 million dollars. This is a construction grant, she said, and it will allow us to build the proper laboratory space for Dr. Milner on the West Campus. The university requested Committee endorsement for design and construction of a new facility on the West Campus in DeKalb for the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault with the funding received from the HRSA in a construction grant totaling $2,718,592. The University further requested Committee endorsement to establish a budget of $2,718,592 for design and construction of such facility and to initiate the Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) process for selection of an architect to prepare plans and specifications for bidding and to provide construction observation. Additionally, the University requested Committee endorsement to seek and take bids, execute construction contracts and issue work orders as necessary to design, construct and occupy the facility.

President Peters thanked Professor Milner, Speaker Hastert, Kathy Buettner and everyone who worked on this project. The broader implication is, he said, this is one of the first structures that will be part of NIU's West Campus development. We are known nationally for our Center for the Study of Family Violence, the President said, and this will make us even better known.

Chair Sanchez thanked the Speaker and everybody else who participated in this project. It will be our pleasure to see construction begin on this center, he said, and see it to fruition. What a subject for us to be leading nationally, the Chair said, and I think it is something to be very proud of, and something we are privileged to lead on. I will look forward to that groundbreaking and the opening of that beautiful facility.

Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse construction of the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault as requested by the university. Trustee Vella so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 6.j. - Lighting Upgrades - Performance Contract
In April 1999, the university took advantage of legislation that allows state universities to enter into performance contracts by participating in a lighting replacement program with NIPSCO Energy Services in DuSable Hall. The contract has turned out to be very successful, Dr. Williams said. We now wish to build upon the pilot program with a 19-building performance contract.

All of the upgrades, the lighting and the improvements are covered by the contracting agent, and the university agrees to pay them from the savings realized through these efforts. If the savings are not there, the companies by contract must absorb the difference. This is a very positive effort on the part of the university to make improvements, he said, but not involve expend university resources to do so. Chair Sanchez asked for a motion to endorse the lighting upgrades performance contract. Trustee Boey so moved, seconded by Trustee Vella. The motion was approved.

Agenda Item 7.a. - Annual Summary Report/Obligation of Financial Resources
Agenda Item 7.b. - Annual report of Transactions Involving Real Property
Agenda Item 7.c. - Annual Report on Capital Activities Fiscal Year 2000
Agenda Item 7.d. - Annual Report of Cash and Investments - Statement of Investment Activity
Dr. Williams told the Board that the university’s investment strategies have yielded a 5.49 percent return. In comparison, the State of Illinois has been able to achieve a 5.39 percent return through its investment strategies. The university is limited in its investment strategies. There are only certain types of investments, by state statute, in which the university is allowed to invest its resources. As a result, it does limit the yield we can realize from our investments, he said, but we are pleased with this return. I want to recognize and thank Tamara Farley, Director-Treasury Operations, and Kathe Shinham, Associate Vice President-Financial Affairs, who shepherd these investments, Dr. Williams said. The report is an excellent one.

Agenda Item 7.e. - Fiscal Year 2001 Increment Summary Report
Agenda Item 7.f. - Quarterly Summary Report of Transactions in Excess of $100,000
Agenda Item 7.g. - Report of Tuition and Fee Waivers - Fiscal Year 2000
Not too long ago, there was some concern relative to how state universities award waivers. That grew out of a concern over the awarding of legislative waivers, Dr. Williams explained. The Auditor General has made a statewide review of all public university waiver policies, procedures and records. As a result of that review, it was recommended that the university periodically report the status of tuition and fee waivers for each fiscal year to its governing board. This agenda item gives an overview of tuition and fee waivers awarded by the university in Fiscal Year 2000.

Agenda Item 7.h. - NIU-Naperville Project Final Report
NIU-Naperville has been completed within the established budget, Dr. Williams reported, and I believe we were two months ahead of schedule in that completion. The building is functioning and occupied. The September Board of Trustees meeting is being held in Naperville, and you will have an opportunity to see the team that delivered this facility. We met all targets and even saved a few dollars in the budget, he said, and these savings have already been reallocated for other things for the building. BIS has already moved in. Our agreement with NCREL gave them several months because they were under lease at their current address, he said, so they should be in the facility by January 1, 2001. But they are trying to amend their current lease so that they can move in now.

Agenda Item 7.i. - NIU-City of DeKalb Fire Contract
The university is in negotiations with the City of DeKalb for a fire contract. I do want to acknowledge the work of Bob Albanese, our chief negotiator, and Rena Cotsones, who assists us with working with the City of DeKalb, Dr. Williams said. The City has changed the method by which it wants to calculate the amounts that would be attached to the contract. The university administration very much understands the responsibility for the health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff, he said, and our stewardship over the facilities that have been entrusted to us through the State of Illinois and through those who have purchased bonds under the name of Northern Illinois University. Therefore, we enter all these negotiations, regardless of where they are or who they are with, with those responsibilities in mind. I have been on the job since June 1, President Peters said, and I want to say that I sleep well at night because the operations of the university are in good hands with Dr. Eddie Williams. This is a well run financially, fiscally sound institution. And I think that reflects the sentiments of the Board as well, Chair Sanchez commented.

The Chair then asked for a motion to adjourn. Trustee Skoien so moved, seconded by Trustee Boey. The meeting was adjourned at 11:29 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon M. Mimms
Recording Secretary