U. of I. President Timothy L. Killeen made his first appearance before the Senate Executive Committee June 15, updating members on his efforts to date in leading the university into the future.
Killeen said he had spent a great deal of time in his first months as president becoming familiar with the university system and the issues facing it.
“The learning curve has accelerated,” he said, noting he has spent much of his initial tenure listening.
His assessment so far: “There is a remarkably rich environment here,” he said. “But, there’s work to be done.”
Killeen has been visiting leaders on the three campuses as he works toward creating a universitywide strategic plan that incorporates the strengths of all three.
Despite the financial issues facing the state and increased higher education competition because of technological advances, he said the current era “is as much an opportunity as it is a problem.”
He said he is hopeful legislators will offer the university a static, multiyear budget framework to make planning for the future easier and lessen the impact on students and on faculty and staff members.
Killeen already has promised that paychecks will keep coming to university employees even if legislators cannot get past a budget impasse and university funding is delivered late.
“People need to be able to plan their lives and have some expectation of stability,” he said.
He said shared responsibility and team problem-solving, as expressed through a strong system of shared governance, will be needed now more than ever.
“In times like these you have to lean forward,” he said. “It’s not just about cutting our budgets, but optimizing them and then performing. We need faculty to be engaged.”
Killeen said his meetings with legislators and the governor have led him to believe they realize the U. of I. is a driver for economic activity and that the state’s appropriation is an investment.
The president said the themes of an upcoming faculty retreat will be the importance of civic engagement, and finding ways in the short-term to put into place a structure to streamline campus meetings, giving faculty members more time to pursue their academic pursuits.
“Efficiency is a collaborative action,” he said, predicting that adopting basic principles to shorten campus meetings could cut the time spent on administrative functions by as much as 10 percent.
He suggested forming a “guiding coalition” of campus leaders that puts shared campus initiatives into action.
“It should be people who ‘get it,’ who want to see things happen,” he said. “We need to put them in places where they can be engaged and inspired. There is nothing stronger than a shared vision, and it is time for us to step forward.”