University of Illinois

Speeches and statements

Email to the University of Illinois community

Re: The December 2007 resources summit

February 7, 2008

In December 2007, following discussions with the chancellors, I convened a university-wide resources summit attended by 125 leaders representing the three campuses, university administration and the foundation and alumni association. The summit was designed to open dialogue on how we can deliver maximum resources to the academic front lines: faculty positions and salaries and financial support of our core academic missions of teaching, research, service and economic development.

This is an important initiative because while the university’s rate of total revenue growth has been quite strong over the past three years, the demands on these revenues to fund utilities, deferred maintenance, staff growth and other areas have been substantial.

Looking ahead, we do not expect the university’s rate of revenue growth to increase significantly in the near future.

Therefore I decided, in consultation with the chancellors, to launch an important new resources initiative for the university at the summit. The purpose of the initiative is to focus our resources to the fullest extent possible on our core academic missions and the faculty, staff and students who are integral to their success. The chancellors and I have encountered widespread concerns about resource adequacy among some of our academic colleagues, despite our relatively strong financial situation. The resources initiative will help us address those concerns.

Stated differently, I believe that for the amount of incremental revenue we are earning each year as a university, not enough of it is reaching the academic front lines.

The resources summit began a collective and open dialogue on these important and difficult matters. In this letter, I want to provide the university community with an overview of the summit and describe the next steps of the resources initiative.

Review of the Resources Summit

The chancellors and provosts of the three campuses and the vice presidents of finance and academic affairs assisted me in developing the list of attendees which included deans, representatives of the faculty, the campus senates, the senates conference, a student leader from each campus and senior administrators. Prior to the meeting the participants were provided with a case study of the university’s current resources picture, including questions like these:

• How can we reduce the growth of central costs at all levels—university administration, campuses, colleges/schools and departments?

• Are we trying to support “too much university” with the dollars we have? How can we collectively examine the scope of academic offerings and units at each campus to improve quality and free up resources for faculty, academic programs and student support?

• How can the president and vice presidents, chancellors, provosts, deans and faculty best collaborate to undertake this initiative in a way that will yield meaningful and constructive results?

Chief Financial Officer Walter Knorr provided the summit participants with an overview of university revenues and expenditures. The provosts provided examples of how they handle resource challenges on their campuses.

The deliberations of discussion groups and a summary of the summit were posted on an interactive website where the participants provided feedback. That feedback included many good ideas. All this information is now available at:

http://www.uillinois.edu/president/ResourcesSummitDocuments.cfm

At the end of the summit, I told the participants that as we strive to manage our resources more effectively, I am passionately committed to:

• Strengthening the quality, academic environment and reputation of the University of Illinois.

• Making and encouraging fundamental change to achieve these goals.

Next Steps

The summit initiated constructive dialogue necessary for change. Participants stressed transparency and collaboration at all levels as we move forward with resource planning. This communication is part of the collaborative effort.

We will pursue a two-pronged approach, long-term and short-term, so as not to lose momentum.

Long-Term Plans

We will develop a five-year view of our resource future so we can capitalize on resource opportunities that require more than a single year to plan and execute.

• We will develop a five-year projection of annual operating budgets and a five-year capital plan (our long-range plans).

• We will streamline our central organizations through careful planning and attrition.

• We will be good stewards of the environment and achieve cost containment through leadership in energy production efficiency and energy conservation.

• We will maintain high quality academic programs and avoid sprawl and mediocrity by regularly and rigorously reviewing all academic programs.

• We will seek change in externally imposed regulatory requirements and procedures that are incompatible with cost effectiveness and the university’s mission and culture.

Short-Term Actions

A number of ideas suggested at the summit can be implemented in a relatively short period of time.

• We will ensure that every faculty member has access to proper financial support in pursuing her/his teaching, research and professional development.

• We will take immediate steps to accelerate energy conservation such as changing to more energy-efficient lighting and inviting members of our community to identify and innovate ways to conserve energy.

• We will develop service centers to support aggregations of small departments where this makes sense.

• We will join together to reduce bureaucratic waste and resulting frustration.

Resources Steering Group

With the chancellors’ concurrence, I am forming a university-wide resources steering group comprised of the three provosts and the three vice presidents to help guide the resources initiative. This group will charge campus-level working groups, convened by the provosts, to address issues at each campus. A fourth working group will be in university administration. The working groups will meet and report regularly to the steering group. The steering group, chancellors and I will work together to ensure that the changes will focus our resources and strengthen the quality and reputation of the university.

In summary, the goal of the resources initiative is to operate the university in a way that delivers the most resources possible to the academic front lines. Dialogue is central to the success of this initiative. I welcome your insights and involvement. The chancellors and I will keep you updated on progress.