UI Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy indicated further “pruning” of academic programs on the Urbana campus may be needed to alleviate funding pressures facing the university.
Kennedy made his comments at the Sept. 9 board meeting in Urbana, following the delivery of the Urbana Academic Senate‘s annual report by outgoing Senate Chair Joyce Tolliver.
“It’s something we need to struggle with at some point,” Kennedy said. “How should we do that in an effective manner?”
Kennedy asked Tolliver if the Stewarding Excellence @ Illinois process had led to the closure of any other unit besides the Institute of Aviation.
Tolliver indicated that several programs had undergone recent “self-initiated” closures and that the senate’s Educational Policy Committee had recommended the aviation institute’s partial closure after determining flight training did not support the core mission of the university.
She said core mission support was the underlying question being asked of all academic units.
“We’re beginning to ask precisely that sort of question,” she said, saying the Stewarding process was effective because it “involves those who would be affected.”
Kennedy promised more discussion of the topic in the future, though the exchange continued through a follow-up presentation by Nicholas Burbules, University Senates Conference representative.
Burbules spoke of the teaching value of research and other non-classroom activities by university professors.
“I’d like to talk about the very important, indispensable teaching that takes place outside of the classroom,” he said.
Burbules said he felt compelled to deliver the message after recent criticisms of university professors being “fat and happy” based on their teaching and research arrangements.
He said there is a realization that “there’s going to be greater scrutiny and review of the people who work here” but educators needed to be “pushing back against these misunderstandings.”
“How do we measure success?” Kennedy asked, noting the imminent adoption of performance-based measurements now being discussed by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. He said trustees would like to be in the conversation to help identify which models most accurately measure faculty performance.
But he conceded doing so would take a “complex assessment.”
Burbules said educators do not fear accountability but want to ensure that metrics used for measurement are effective and ultimately benefit students.
“We all have to do better in showing and justifying what we do,” he said. “We understand that accountability is very important.”
