Administrators are continuing to apply pressure to state leaders for a budget resolution, and are working to have the University of Illinois removed from the American Association of University Professors censure list.
Interim Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson said U. of I. President Timothy L. Killeen has been strategizing with university leaders, local legislators and the other state university leaders in forming a united front to advocate for higher education and its place in the state's economic recovery.
"It's something that concerns all of us," Wilson told members of the Senate Executive Committee at their Oct. 12 meeting. "There are a full set of activities that are happening to support the effort."
In addition to testifying before state legislative committees and supplying vast amounts of data to state officials, Killeen recently signed a letter with other state university presidents urging swift resolution of the budget stalemate.
The university continues to operate without its current-year appropriation from the state of Illinois, which has been held up for four months because legislators and the governor have yet to agree on a budget framework. Media reports have indicated that there's little hope the budget logjam will be resolved by the end of the year.
"The impasse casts a shadow of uncertainty over the campuses," the letter from the presidents said. "We are on the brink of serious operational damage. Midterm exams are not far off, and so too are decisions that must be made about staffing, academic offerings and student services for the spring semester.
"Requiring the public universities to operate without a budget appropriation is unsustainable. ... In addition, we are deeply concerned about losing the reputation, excellence and the important grant funds that support both students and the Illinois economy."
Wilson said the university also is making inroads to have the university removed from the AAUP censure list. The university was added to the list following the fallout of the Steven Salaita incident.
The university and Salaita continue to negotiate a settlement after his employment offer was rescinded last year because of controversial comments attributed to him on social media.
Wilson said she had so far met with 41 department heads and directors to discuss Salaita, the censure and ways to illustrate to the AAUP the university’s commitment to academic freedom and free speech. She said she also has met with leaders of the campus AAUP chapter to discuss how to move forward.
"I think there have been some very good conversations," she said. "There are things we need to do prior to that point (being removed from censure), but we are going to continue to be aggressive."
The AAUP holds its annual meeting in the summer.
In other SEC business, members forwarded the voting schedule for the chancellor's search committee to the Urbana-Champaign Senate for final approval.
Under the schedule, senators will have until Oct. 19 to nominate committee members. The senate's Committee on Committees also will recommend potential candidates, though the SEC voted to not indicate whether candidates were selected by the committee or by the electorate at large. Senators will be given all candidate information prior to the Oct. 20 electronic voting period, which ends Oct. 23. Runoff elections, if necessary, will be Oct. 26 and 27.
The senate approved a committee structure Sept. 21 that is designed to meet process and legal requirements for a diverse membership.
Under it, the first step would be the selection of a faculty member as chair, with two nominations each given to the Committee on Committees and the SEC. Senators would elect two potential candidates, with the president selecting the chair and the remaining person serving as one of the eight faculty members on the search committee.
Committee members would be selected from a group of 12 to 14 faculty members picked by the Committee on Committees, with senators electing seven. No more than two candidates from a college may serve, and if those elected do not meet the diversity requirements, then the female faculty member and minority member receiving the most votes would be placed on the committee first. The next five to receive the most votes would finalize the membership structure.
The committee makeup also will include three students, one dean or director, an academic professional and a civil service staff member, all elected by their respective governing bodies.
A provision was added prior to the senate vote allowing candidate information to be disseminated to voters simultaneously to ensure fairness.