The U. of I. Board of Trustees concluded the administrative chapter of the Steven Salaita saga Sept. 11, voting 8-1 to not appoint Salaita as a tenured professor in American Indian Studies on the Urbana campus.
The board's decision supported the recommendations of U. of I. President Bob Easter and Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise.
Easter said he made his decision following widely reported controversial online comments Salaita made concerning the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
"In our pluralistic society, it is increasingly obvious that forward progress is impeded by polarization, bigotry and hurtful dialogue that inhibits reasoned discourse," Easter said.
"I have come to the conclusion that Professor Salaita's approach indicates that he would be incapable of fostering a classroom environment where conflicting opinions could be given equal consideration, regardless of the issue being discussed."
Easter said hiring the professor ultimately would negatively affect student and faculty recruitment.
Wise said she would use the controversy as an opportunity to lead a continuing campus dialogue on the issues of academic freedom and shared governance.
"My goal has always been to make decisions that are in the best interest of the campus, and to further its vision, goals, objectives and reputation," she said. "To my campus faculty colleagues who are frustrated and angry about this case, I pledge that I will continue to listen and learn, and work hard to bring the campus together. We will be stronger because of this, and I look forward to the engagement of our entire community."
Supporters of Salaita packed the board meeting room at the Illini Union on the Urbana campus. Many carried signs, and the group applauded individual speakers supporting Salaita during the meeting's public comments section. The group stood and turned their backs on speakers opposed to Salaita's appointment.
At the conclusion of the vote, Salaita supporters chanted "Shame on you!" as they filed out of the meeting to protest outside.
Professor Robert Warrior, the director of American Indian Studies, made a last-ditch plea to the board, asking that they accept the department's recommendation to hire Salaita.
He said in addition to academic freedom, the administrative action against Salaita threatened campus shared governance and is "an abrogation of authority."
"It cuts to the heart of who we are and what we are becoming as an institution," he said. "It is the faculty who have the expertise to decide (academic appointments)."
Warrior also defended the online comments attributed to Salaita, saying "None were obviously or apparently troublesome. Nothing is so obvious as his detractors would believe."
Anna Westerstahl Stenport, a professor of Germanic languages and literatures, said the decision not to hire Salaita would have "catastrophic, long-term effects" on faculty recruitment and donations because of the negative publicity.
"Interference in the Salaita appointment has made it untenable for me to act in good faith as a public figure for the U. of I.," she said.
Josh Cooper, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, presented trustees a petition with 1,300 student signatures in support of Wise and her initial decision on the Salaita appointment.
He said the petition, gathered in a two-day period before the board meeting, showed the majority of students supported the chancellor and her decision.
"The vast majority of students on this campus are not walking out of classes," he said. "Hate speech is never acceptable for these appointments for tenured positions. This candidate (Salaita) is completely intolerant of anyone who does not agree with his views."
David Downey, a 1963 U. of I. graduate and member of the U. of I. Foundation Board and the U. of I. College of Business Board of Overseers, said those venting their discontent over the decision were harming the institution by targeting its leaders.
Despite detractors' claims, he said Wise and Easter were among the best leaders the university has seen during his long association with the U. of I.
He said the issue was a simple matter of demanding civil discourse.
"I don't want him doing it here, representing me," he said of Salaita. "Words are important, otherwise, why are we even talking?"
Trustee Patrick J. Fitzgerald said the board's first responsibility is to create and ensure a safe and nurturing environment for students who come to campus. He said some of Salaita's statements were said with the same hurtful intent as homophobic or racist comments.
"We have to look out for the students and potential students first and foremost," he said.
He said he disagreed with the threatened boycotts of the university because of the differing opinions over the handling of the Salaita case.
"I as a trustee should not be moved by a boycott," he said.
Trustee James D. Montgomery, the lone supporter of the Salaita appointment, said he only recently had had a change of heart on the issue after reflecting on his days as a student on the Urbana campus in the 1950s.
During that time, a period when he said university policies condoned housing discrimination, Montgomery also participated in vocal protests against the status quo.
"I guess I was about as vocal as Dr. Salaita," he said.
Montgomery said Salaita's comments "were not in the context of the university or of the classroom," which should make it constitutionally protected and not "in the context of seeking employment at this university."
The trustee cautioned that his support is not an indictment against Wise, who he called a "visionary leader," nor is it an indication he supports the specific speech voiced by Salaita.
Instead, he said that support stems from his commitment to freedom of speech, "which is the greatest value I cherish in this country."
Board approves 2015 budget, campus renovation work
Trustees approved investing more than $40 million in campus building work at their Sept. 11 meeting in Urbana.
Most of that money, more than $38 million, is for the second phase of work on $73 million of renovations on the Natural History Building, the first phase garnering board approval in 2001.
The remainder, nearly $3 million, will go toward correcting exterior deficiencies at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
The Natural History Building project will modernize and repurpose around 148,000 square feet of instructional, research, laboratory and office space.
The project also will create a large open courtyard space to house plumbing, laboratory exhaust, electrical and energy-efficient mechanical (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems.
The board picked the lowest bid in a competitive bidding process, with the winning bids submitted by Illinois firms in Decatur, Morton and Urbana.
The project is being funded by institutional funds within the operating budget, the academic facilities maintenance fund assessment fund and gifts.
The Krannert Center work, awarded to a Decatur firm, will correct problem areas on the outside of the Colwell Playhouse and Studio Theatre, specifically the concrete masonry and face bricks.
"Overall, this project will have an impact on the integrity and appearance of these theaters while increasing energy efficiency," said the item presented to the board. "Minor interior finish work will address some areas of water damage."
The project will be funded by the academic facilities maintenance fund assessment fund.
University budget approved
The board approved a $5.64 billion budget for fiscal 2015 that increases spending by less than 1 percent.
The budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 is up 0.2 percent, or $11.1 million, from the year before and reflects the university's ongoing efforts to maintain academic quality while holding down student cost increases, President Bob Easter said.
"Through cost containment and prudent financial management, the University of Illinois is maintaining its place as one of the world's premier universities and fulfilling its land-grant mission of student access and affordability," Easter said.
The budget includes $4.5 billion for day-to-day operating costs on the university's three campuses - up 1.6 percent from fiscal 2014. Day-to-day costs of the university's educational mission, including salaries and academic support costs, are covered through the budget's unrestricted funds. State funding and tuition revenue comprise the bulk of unrestricted funds, which increased $35 million to $2.10 billion for fiscal year 2015, up 1.7 percent from the year before.
The university's direct state appropriation for fiscal 2015 decreased $1.2 million, or 0.2 percent, to $667.5 million. Tuition revenue increased by $33.8 million, or 3.2 percent, to $1.10 billion, but growth has slowed under a policy adopted by trustees four years ago that seeks to promote student access and affordability by holding tuition increases to the rate of inflation. Under the policy, tuition for incoming freshmen has increased 1.7 percent each of the last two years - the lowest in nearly two decades.
Revenue from restricted funds rose by $34.5 million, or 1.4 percent, to $2.4 billion. Restricted funds include research grants, private donations and gifts, hospital and medical service plan revenues, and auxiliary operations such as campus housing and food services. Those funds must be spent for the specified purpose or in accordance with donor restrictions. The budget also includes $1.1 billion in payments from the state for employee health care and pension benefits, down $58.4 million or 4.9 percent from fiscal 2014. For the fourth consecutive year, the budget provides a salary program for university faculty and staff members, who received no pay increases in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. The merit-based raises will average 2.5 percent, down slightly from 2.75 percent last year.
Easter said the salary program is critical to attract and retain top faculty members, who are vital to the university's teaching and research missions and in high demand by colleges across the nation and internationally.
Funding request approved
The board also approved the university's request for state operating funds for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1, 2015. The proposal seeks $707.8 million, an increase of $40.3 million - or 2.3 percent - from the fiscal 2015 direct state appropriation.
The request is the first step in the annual budget process, and will be submitted to the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the State of Illinois for consideration.
Officials say most of the requested increase would be used to strengthen academic quality by providing competitive compensation to recruit and retain top faculty and staff members. The remainder would address deferred maintenance and facility renovation needs, and cover inflationary cost increases.
The fiscal 2016 budget request also seeks $452.1 million in capital funding, which would largely be used to repair and renovate aging facilities on the university's three campuses.
