MINUTES
Board of Trustees
Illinois State University
October 21, 2011
The Board of Trustees convened at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 21, 2011, in the Old Main Room of Bone
Student Center, Illinois State University, Normal. Chairperson McCuskey called the meeting to order and
Trustee Maitland called the roll.
The following members were present.
Trustee Jay Bergman
Trustee Anne Davis
Trustee Bob Dobski
Trustee Betty Kinser
Trustee Joanne Maitland
Trustee Mike McCuskey
Trustee Sean Palmer
A quorum was declared. Also present for the public session were:
President Al Bowman
Vice President & Provost Sheri Everts
Vice President for Finance & Planning Dan Layzell
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Dietz
Vice President for University Advancement Erin Minne
Assistant to the President Jay Groves
Board Legal Counsel Jane Denes
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve the meeting Agenda? Trustee Davis so moved and was
seconded by Trustee Maitland. Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chairperson McCuskey: We need to review and approve the Minutes of the July 29, 2011, meeting. Trustee
Palmer so moved and was seconded by Trustee Dobski. Any discussion? Motion made, seconded and vote
recorded as all members present voting aye.
CHAIRPERSON’S REMARKS
Good morning everyone, and thank you so much for coming today. I want to start by thanking the Campus
Communication Committee for organizing this morning’s discussion hour. It was a lively discussion hour
with lots of statistics and news about how the University retains academically motivated students, how we
admit students, the kinds of students that we admit, and then the best news the retention rate at the end of the
freshman year and our graduation rate at the end of four and six years – historic highs. Numbers that we can
be very proud of. We are doing our job very well here, so I want to thank the University College, the Office
of Enrollment Management, and Academic Services. We learned how we keep students advised – if they
need help they are certainly getting it here. All of the people who made this presentation are also working
very hard to continue the academic excellence of the University.
A big thank you to everyone involved in planning this year’s Homecoming activities. The number of kids,
future Redbirds, the number of parents, the crowd was amazing and it was a good time. So I think that our
Homecoming was as good, if not better, than we have ever had. So I want to thank the folks in Alumni
Relations and Athletics – always good to win a football game on Homecoming day, and I asked President
Bowman if we had any incidents or arrests and he said absolutely not and he will comment on that shortly.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 1
Also we had the good news about President Bowman as being selected as the 2011 recipient of the Council
for the Advancement and Support of Education District Five Chief Executive Leadership Award. The award
recognizes presidents for outstanding leadership and service in support of education and contributions to their
institutions and communities that deserve exceptional notice and praise. President Bowman’s nomination was
led by Erin Minné, our Vice President for University Advancement—but the nominating team also included
community leaders from the Chamber of Commerce and EDC—so congratulations Al on the much-deserved
honor.
Now, I would like to ask the Trustees if they would like to comment on any activities they have participated
in since our July meeting.
Trustee Dobski: Good morning. The Athletic department approached us for this Saturday’s 1:00 football
game – any of the McDonalds in the area will have vouchers available for tickets so hopefully we can pack
the football stadium for the game, which will be telecast on ESPN3. We are glad to help and be another
community partner on that. Going back to Homecoming I got to drive the Red Hot car with the Court of the
Red Hot winners and the parade had a great turnout with great weather. I am looking forward to the TrusteeIn-Residence this Wednesday with the College of Education and I wanted to put a shout out to Jonathan for a
great presentation this morning.
Trustee Palmer: Since the last Board meeting I had the opportunity to participate in the honorary coach’s
game for women’s volleyball and that was a lot of fun. I also did my Trustee-In-Residence at Milner Library.
I had a really great time there and learned a lot. They have so many different things going on that the average
person wouldn’t know about if you didn’t take an in-depth tour of the library. I got to see the new technology
they are implementing such as group collaboration work stations and projector screen computers. They also
have an entire department devoted to preserving old artifacts and fixing up old books that are starting to
deteriorate. The library has quite a few challenges right now and I think they are doing their best to work
with what they have. The building is falling apart and I hope the money to remodel the library gets approved
very soon. They are moving into the future with an increased focus on technology and I think they are doing
the right things in that area. I enjoyed the tour very much.
I have also started to participate on a committee for the Vice President of Student Affairs – the Student
Advisory Committee and that is going great so far. I didn’t get to participate too much in the University
Homecoming activities because the last week I have had pneumonia but I am getting over that. I am looking
forward to the upcoming Board retreat and to finishing the rest of the semester.
Trustee Kinser: First of all I would like to thank Dean Curtis for being included as one of her 27 closest
friends at the volleyball game – we had a great time and we won. Also the women’s volleyball team won last
night against Bradley so that is really a positive for the volleyball team. One event that was really fabulous
was the dinner for the Horticulture Center. All the food was raised at the Horticulture Center and even the
barbeque was from the ISU farm. It was a great event and was sold out. It’s a really nice place to visit and
you can visit anytime you want and walk through the gardens. They had a parade of scarecrows and that is a
great event for the community.
I had the opportunity to take some tours of some local community people that had a misunderstanding of
what we were doing on campus. So we went to Watterson Commons for lunch and Arlene and Maureen did a
fabulous job to explain what is going on with the residence halls. They had not been in a residence hall for 20
years and most were retired from the University, but they were really impressed with Arlene and Maureen. I
didn’t realize that a lot of students that don’t live on campus can get a food card and eat at the dining centers.
So there were seven that are networked into getting information to the communities, so I was really pleased
with that turnout.
The other event I attended was the opening of the College of Nursing Simulation Lab. If you haven’t been
there, you should go. It was a really great event and hats off to the Mennonite College of Nursing and the
wonderful welcome they gave to everyone. I went to Homecoming and the parade was marvelous. I could
not believe how many people were at the parade – it was a really good crowd. I do want to commend the
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 2
buildings and grounds people because I also went to the parking lots on Sunday morning and everything was
gone – it was all cleaned up. They did a great job after the football game.
Trustee Maitland – I would also like to echo about Homecoming being so successful. I did attend the Alumni
luncheon on Friday, one of the Homecoming activities that I always enjoy and also the Hall of Fame
Athletics breakfast. It is so amazing to hear from these basketball players you remember from playing on the
court and years later they come to the Hall of Fame and it is amazing to hear what they have accomplished. I
did do my Trustee-In-Residence just this past Wednesday with the College of Fine Arts, and I want to thank
Dean Major and Executive Associate Dean John Walker and the rest of the faculty members who helped me
view their departments on that day. I did actually stand and look at the Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts
Building and that is really wonderful to see the people who have received this award and to watch their
performances and to see the things they have accomplished. I didn’t realize when they were put out of
McCormick that they had to find areas for their dance studio and what they have done to Westhoff Theatre is
amazing. I understand most of that was designed by the faculty and people who are actually involved. I
attended Rose Marshack’s class on Arts Tech and they presented some of the activities that the students were
involved in. I always enjoy being in a classroom and seeing the students participate. I also went to a lecture
and visited the University Galleries and lastly I went to the practice rehearsal for the Madrigal Singers. I was
supposed to be there 20 minutes but I stayed the whole class – it was wonderful – like being at a concert. I
also went to the Latino Cultural Dinner, which had a very enjoyable speaker, America Ferraro. I also
attended the College of Nursing Simulation Lab Open House and President Bowman’s State of the
University Address.
Trustee Davis: Good morning. My first activity was my Trustee visit with the College of Applied Science &
Technology, and I want to thank Dean Wood, Dr. Woeste, our faculty, staff and students for a wonderful
informative and engaging visit. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the broadened curriculum
in our agricultural department. It was mentioned when that department first started I believe we may have
had two females enrolled as students and currently we have two-thirds of our students being female – so that
was a nice surprise. In the Health & Science department the students gave an excellent demonstration on the
manufacture of our diesel fuel and they were all undergrads. It was great hearing them talk about how they
collaborate with other departments and looking at the results of the work that they do. I am looking forward
to the day when we can manufacture enough diesel fuel to supply the needs of all of our diesel trucks on
campus.
One of the nice things about our Trustee visits is that it affords us the opportunity to walk around and see the
campus as well as have a feel for the decisions that we make here on the Board. Certainly one of the areas
would be our Student Fitness Center. That Center is one that we all take pride in and I think it definitely
enhanced what we stand for at this University, and that is having a quality institution, quality learning and a
quality life for our students. As in the past I enjoyed all the Homecoming activities. The Red Bird spirit and
enthusiasm was off the charts and of course the icing on the cake was our team winning the game. I would be
remiss if I didn’t mention how very much I enjoy and look forward to our athletic and educational Hall of
Fame induction ceremonies. Our inductees are always engaging and inspiring as they share their life
experiences and they really do exemplify the high quality of our ISU graduates.
Trustee Bergman: I have not yet done my Trustee-In-Residence – I am going to be with the folks in the
Athletics department in November and hopefully at the same time I will be able to visit our friends at the
College of Nursing and take in the new simulation lab. I participated in Homecoming. The parade was a lot
of fun as always as was the tailgate and game. The only thing I would say is that I know there was a change
this year from the nice semi-formal event in the evening – which adds a little class to what we are trying to
achieve here wasn’t done this year. I hope that will be considered for inclusion in future years. The only other
thing – as a person from out-of-town and Homecoming is generally bringing in as many people as you can
from out of town. In looking at the timing of the parade, tailgate and game, I wasn’t put out because when
there wasn’t anything to do we went up to the room I had at the Marriott, but most of the people that come to
Homecoming from out of the area aren’t in that position. If they want to get here in time for the parade they
may be here by 9:30 in the morning and they are here until roughly 6:00 when the game ends and I am afraid
that there is just too much dead time in between. So I hope that will be taken into consideration in the future.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 3
I would also like to suggest that we add a little class here – while I was downtown for the evening events I
think a nice business attire/black tie event would be welcomed also.
My only other comment this morning is future increases in state funding is going to be based upon
performance. I am on the performance funding steering committee, which is putting together the guidelines
to what has to be done and hopefully I will have a report for the Board either at our next meeting or the
following meeting as far as what the situation is there. It is going to be a dramatic change in the way higher
education is funded in Illinois. Maybe not immediately because the state doesn’t have any more money to
give us, but at some point hopefully they will and this will be a big difference.
Trustee Dobski: I would be remiss for not thanking ISU again for the community day we had here as part of
the Chamber of Commerce – I think again it was mentioned earlier about the partnership with the Chamber
of Commerce and businesses in the area – we had about 50 tents so it was a great day and shows again the
leadership and how entrenched ISU is with the town and the community. So we thank you for a great event.
Chairperson McCuskey: I want to thank our new athletic director, Gary Freidman, for being here today, as he
had a great start to Homecoming and hopefully that will lead into a great basketball season. Speaking of
basketball, I talked to Michael McKinney, a former Redbird basketball player, and I think he was tickled to
have somebody remember him. But as Anne says, it is good to see these athletes come back and be honored
for all those highlights they gave us in Redbird athletics. I am going to do my Trustee-In-Residence with the
College of Arts & Science. I look forward to that because it is a lot different college than when I was a
graduate in liberal arts.
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS
Thank you Trustee McCuskey. I want to add my thanks to the Campus Communication Committee and the
staff of Enrollment Management and Academic Services. The retention efforts on our campus have certainly
proven worth their weight in gold. Not only are the retention and graduation numbers at historic highs—their
efforts help make our campus a more diverse and welcoming academic environment for all students, so thank
you all for your fine work.
I also want to echo Trustee McCuskey’s praise for everyone involved with Homecoming, and thank the
thousands of alumni and friends who returned to campus for a beautiful weekend and all of the Homecoming
activities. Our theme this year was “Get in the Game” and our students, faculty, staff members, alumni and
local residents did just that. The first event I attended was back on Monday—Homecoming Kickoff on the
Quad—and it was the largest attendance I have ever seen at such an event. The community involvement this
year was spectacular, including Redbird Primetime in Uptown and films at the Normal Theater featuring ISU
alums. A great week and a big Redbird victory—so thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make
Homecoming such a wonderful time at Illinois State.
We are almost a third of the way through this fiscal year, and financially, we remain in good shape. Despite
a FY2012 state appropriations reduction of about 1.5 percent, Illinois State was able to offer merit-based
salary increases averaging 3 percent.
We accomplished this goal by making it a high priority, and by adjusting our spending plan to accommodate
the additional cost. Through careful planning, we were also able to provide a modest 2 percent increase for
departmental operating budgets—the first in several years. So far this fiscal year, the state has kept current on
its payments, and we have received about $16 million dollars for FY2012. We are still owed $23.7 from
FY2011, and have been told by the state Comptroller’s office that we will receive the balance by the end of
this calendar year. Given the unpredictability of payments from the state, we continue to manage cash flow
through tuition revenue and University reserves.
Another piece of good news is there has been a spike in grant activity and private fundraising has also been
instrumental in meeting the needs of our students, faculty and staff. FY2011 grants for Illinois State totaled
$36.8 million, easily eclipsing our record of $22.3 million set in 2008. For the first quarter of FY2012, we
have been awarded almost $13 million in grants, so we are off to another strong start.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 4
Private fundraising for FY2011 totaled more than $13.5 million. That is $1.27 million increase over FY2010
and represents a 10.3 percent growth in funds raised over the past year. For FY2012, gift income is up 62.2
percent over this same period last year. Currently cash, commitments, and gifts-in-kind total nearly $5
million since July 1. The annual fund is also running ahead in comparison to this time last year, and we are
up in alumni, parent, and faculty and staff donors to the institution.
As we approach the end of October, student recruitment for the fall 2012 class is already in full swing. As
you know, we slightly overshot our target total enrollment of between 20 and 21,000 students this fall with
an enrollment of 21,080. Given the economy and the fierce competition for students, I promise you no one is
complaining, as many Illinois universities saw uncomfortable drops in enrollment for this fall semester.
Our new freshman class totaled 3,321 and transfer enrollment topped 1,800. Academically motivated
students have many choices and more new freshman made Illinois State their choice this year. That, along
with robust transfer and retention numbers, makes for full residence halls and classrooms this year. As we
continue recruiting for the 2012-13 academic year, we will look to slightly moderate those numbers. Class
diversity is also higher than last year, with non-white students comprising about 18 percent of the incoming
freshman class. The biggest jump was in African-American enrollment with an increase of 26 percent over
last fall.
The academic quality of our students remained strong with an incoming ACT average near 24 and a grade
point average of 3.38. In fact, this year we have almost three times as many students with an ACT of 33-to36 as we did last year.
One startling piece of information that I referenced in my State of the University Address last month really
puts Illinois State’s success in perspective—According to the Chronicle Almanac, from 2003 to 2008, our
graduation rate rose 11 percent. Among all of the public research universities in these United States—only
five bettered that 11percent leap—and only one of the five has a higher graduation rate than Illinois State.
One way we attract more academically talented students is through the increased awarding of merit-based
scholarships—something we must expand upon in future years. In addition to our Presidential and University
Scholarships, we committed extra funds this year for new Redbird Academic Scholarships and assisted more
than 475 students. These students achieved an average ACT of nearly 27 and a 3.8 grade point average. In
addition, Illinois State will spend more than $8 million this year in University access grants to support more
than 2,200 students with the greatest financial need.
I want to congratulate the School of Information Technology and Professors Billy Lim and Bryan Hosak.
The two were recently awarded a $450,000 National Science Foundation grant to help change the way
introductory computer programming classes are taught. The professors will expand a teaching curriculum
pilot program that integrates available web technologies into first-year programming classes to make lessons
more meaningful and engaging for students.
Congratulations also to the College of Education—the recipient of a grant for almost $1.4 million to help
Chicago-area paraprofessionals who work with English learners, make the transition to certified teacher with
bilingual and English as a second language approvals.
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced the award of the five-year grant, a partnership
between Illinois State and four Chicago-area school districts with the aim of increasing the number of skilled
teachers who work with Latino students learning English.
As I announced during my State of the University Address, Illinois State’s corporate MBA program will be
expanding to Chicago in fall 2012. The demand for the MBA degree is strong, and our corporate MBA
model serves working professionals in a cohort setting with intense weekend classes. Meanwhile, the MBA
Program has been ranked among the top 100 programs nationally for preparing students for social, ethical
and environmental stewardship in business. The University is ranked 32nd in the 2011-12 Beyond Grey
Pinstripes Global 100 MBA Ranking, an independent, biennial MBA ranking published by the Aspen
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 5
Institute Center for Business Education.
For the past three years, the Arbor Day Foundation has designated Illinois State as a “Tree Campus USA.”
This year, the Foundation has honored the University by selecting ISU as one of five institutions nationally to
host a tree-planting event. This coming Monday, representatives of the Foundation will join students and
staff members in planting 50 trees on the Quad and surrounding acreage. We congratulate our Grounds
Department and student leadership for making this enhancement possible.
Finally, Illinois State junior Jeff Byrnes is the winner of the campus-wide contest to name the institution’s
new Learning Management System. Jeff, a music education major from Hickory Hills, Ill., submitted the
name “ReggieNet” for the system, which allows faculty to utilize interactive teaching technology—so
congratulations to Jeff.
A few constructions notes—one month ago we held the official grand opening of the Mennonite College of
Nursing Simulation Laboratory. The new, 10,000 square foot laboratory, on the corner of Normal Avenue
and Locust Street, provides students with technologically advanced assessment labs, classrooms, offices and
patient simulation areas that mimic real-world nursing situations. Video capture capabilities at the over $2
million facility allows for immediate feedback to teachers and students.
If you have driven by the Cardinal Court Apartment Complex construction site, you know things are
progressing at a rapid pace. Construction continues with the framing of walls and installation of roof trusses.
Contractors continue working on exterior masonry and siding, roofing and window installation, mechanical
and electrical rough-ins. That project is on-schedule with occupancy in August 2012.
The Hovey Hall remodeling project continues to move forward. This project involves three distinct activities:
repair of the exterior building envelope, remodeling of the first floor and repair of exterior columns. On the
first floor, design work is underway. It includes aesthetic improvements to the entrance area of the facility
and remodeling to accommodate the Financial Aid Office in its move from Fell Hall. On the School Street
side, column repair continues. It will also include construction of a new vestibule with Georgian features.
Work is scheduled to begin in January and be completed by September.
On the Watterson Towers renovation project, interior work is about 65 percent complete including the
window installation. Contractors are currently working on phase 5 of the north tower. Exterior work is
approximately 80 percent complete and is anticipated to be completed this season. This project is on schedule
and expected to be completed by fall 2012.
Finally, as you are aware, I announced during the State of the University Address a project to significantly
renovate Hancock Stadium. The proposed enhancements include a new east-side grandstand with brick
columns and glass walls to provide a more attractive and inviting presence on Main Street. Outdoor terrace
spaces, suite and club seating and improved concession areas and restrooms are also part of the initiative.
Hancock Stadium is clearly the most visible front door to our campus, and it is a community resource as well
as a campus landmark. The stadium hasn’t received a significant infrastructure upgrade since it was built 50
years ago—so I will present that project for Board consideration in February of 2012.
Illinois State Athletics is off to a great start this fall and the future only looks brighter with a lot of strong
performances from freshmen. Rachel Tejada, from the women’s soccer team, has been honored throughout
the season by the Missouri Valley Conference and she has also ranked statistically among the best in the
nation for goals scored.
The Redbird soccer team is in the chase for the league title and the ISU women’s cross country team could
also be the elite of the conference. Led by the performances of freshman Krista DeCeault, the women’s cross
country has a great chance to hoist the trophy at the Valley Championships on October 30.
Brock Spack and the Redbird football team delivered a pounding to the nationally ranked University of South
Dakota last Saturday. The Redbirds continue to make strides on the entire program and are really looking
forward to this stretch with several home games. In addition, I know Gary and his staff has worked diligently
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 6
on the department’s television package and with the announcement coming soon, I am pleased that our
alumni and fans will see even more of our men’s basketball games on Comcast SportsNet Chicago this
season.
That takes care of my initial comments this morning. I would now like to call the spokesperson of the
Campus Communication Committee, Stacy Ramsey, to the podium for a report.
CAMPUS COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE
Ms. Ramsey: Good morning. The Campus Communications Committee would also like to thank Jon
Rosenthal and Amelia Noel-Elkins for their presentations at the coffee hour this morning. As we are aware,
we have an outstanding retention rate at Illinois State and it was very enlightening to hear about all the
services we provide to students to help make that a reality.
We have had an exciting fall semester so far. We not only welcomed back our continuing students, but
welcomed another outstanding new freshman and transfer class. We continue our national recognition in the
U.S. News & World Report rankings and again being named a Military Friendly School. We also had a
wonderful Homecoming celebration for our students, faculty and staff, alumni, and Bloomington-Normal
community. These are just a few of the many things that make Illinois State a great place to be.
There continues to be concern across campus with our declining funding from the state. Again, the Map
Grant is being threatened, which causes unease and uncertainty among our students about the future of their
educational opportunities. Although we are making progress in campus renovations, such as the Nursing
Simulation Laboratory and Hancock Stadium, we still have many buildings in need of maintenance attention.
We do owe our kudos to our leadership and the entire campus community for proactive fundraising and grant
activity and also using resources wisely so that we can continue to operate and provide a quality education to
our students. There is some uncertainty for the future as the competition increases for a declining number of
high school graduates and in how we will continue to recruit and retain talented students with further
decreases in state support. We urge the Board to continue to relay the message that the apparent devaluation
of higher education by the state is a serious matter and that there should be a greater investment in higher
education and, therefore, in the future of Illinois and our students.
Returning to the forefront are also concerns regarding the legislative changes in faculty and staff pensions.
These changes will greatly impact many valued and dedicated employees. Continued advocacy on the behalf
of all of our employees is encouraged.
Finally, on behalf of the Campus Communications Committee and the entire campus community, we would
like to offer our congratulations to President Bowman on his CASE Award. We are all aware that President
Bowman is an outstanding leader and it is wonderful to see that he is being formally recognized through this
award for his exceptional work and contributions. Thank you.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Mr. Adams: Good morning. Next Tuesday will be the first day of the veto session and I am going to talk
about some items that are going to impact that. First, you will recall Senate Bill 1 that was introduced this
year that would impact board members and directors of agencies whose appointment had run out. For
decades appointees are continuing after their terms expire until they are either reappointed or someone else is
appointed. Senate Bill 1 would change that and make those appointments vacate about a month after the term
expires. The last day of this session that bill did not make it through the process. However, House Bill 2972
was amended in the Senate to incorporate the provisions of Senate Bill 1, and although the Governor had
publicly talked about vetoing Senate Bill 1, he did sign that bill. The good news is our board is unaffected by
this new language. The first appointments that could even possibly be affected end in 2013.
Chairperson McCuskey: The problem is not the expiration but the failure to appoint. So there are hundreds of
boards that do not have full appointments and this is one of the boards that still have a vacancy. Any
discussion on that in Springfield?
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 7
Mr. Adams: When I talked to Senator Cullerton’s people about it, I think that was their concern, and since
the Governor signed this thing I would think they have at least part of his attention. This bill kicks in next
Tuesday, so I anticipate on Monday we are going to see a huge number of appointments. For example, if
they don’t get appointments on Monday, on Tuesday Western will have two board members. It also applies
to directors and it has language about directors being appointed when they are in sessions, when they are not
– it tightens all that language up too.
Trustee Bergman: Unless something has happened in the last several weeks, Eastern and Governors State are
going to have some very serious problems also.
Mr. Adams: They did make several at Southern, but it’s also not just these kinds of boards, it’s the paid
boards, the three labor relations board and directors and deputy directors. Anyone who has to be confirmed
falls under this act.
In terms of the veto session it will start on the 25th for three days – they will be in three more days I believe
the second week in November – six days total. Not too much time and they have enormous topics. I think
that top on the list is the gaming bill that was held up in the Senate. The Governor announced last week some
changes that he wants made. If they make all his changes, that bill can’t pass. There will not be a bill get to
his desk that doesn’t have some extra financial incentive for the racing industry. I don’t think you can pass a
bill in the House without taking care of them in some way. Whether or not he will back off that situation – it
depends in large part what they give him on some of the other things that he wants. For example, there are
several new casinos and the one everyone has their eye on is Chicago – he wants that to be under the control
of the state agency that controls all the rest. They may well give him that to try to get him to back off the
horse racing industry part of it. That bill is important to us because it provides a substantial piece of the
funding that would go into paying off the bonds for capital projects. So we do have a vested interest in the
outcome of that.
There is also a bill that passed and he vetoed that in the most simplistic terms allows ConEd to have a series
of rate increases without going through the normal rate increase process. This is a bill that when it passed the
Senate resulted in a scuffle on the floor between the bill’s sponsor and a fellow from the other side of the
aisle. The bill sponsor is Senator Jacobs from the Quad Cities area. He is quoted as saying he has enough
votes to override the Governor. Whether that holds in the House – who knows, but it is an important issue
and we only have six days.
There are several issues that deal with AFSME that are going to impact this session. We have the ongoing
fight over the pay raises that were included in the last contract that the Governor is trying not to make. That
is in the courts but it’s also all over the General Assembly at the same time. Along with that there was a
document signed between the administration and AFSME that was designed to prevent any layoffs. The
administration is now trying to back off of that. That item is in the courts but it is also playing a big role in
Springfield. With that there are several proposed closings of state facilities including one or both of the
Lincoln prisons and all of those are going to impact the rest of this veto session and it is probably not a great
time for this because the contract is running out and that has to be renegotiated this coming year. That issue
certainly plays into the whole issue about so called pension reform.
There are also roughly 65 bills that the Governor vetoed and all of those are going to be dealt with one way
or another and will take some time and some deliberation. Obviously we have the pension issue and we have
the health benefits issue for current retirees that may or may not be considered in the veto session. My
opinion is the closer we get to it the less likely they will be able to deal with those. We still have the
President of the Senate whose chief legal advisor is the person who wrote the opinion that it is
unconstitutional. These guys are going to want to vote on this thing if in fact it’s not going to get considered
in the Senate. So unless that changes I think that will be held over for the regular session. Probably the
biggest impact on the session is going to be the fact that every member of the House and Senate is going to
running in a new district. For the first time many of them are going to have major primary fights before they
get to the general election. A great example of that is our own new Senate district here, which includes the
campus. Clearly there is going to be two incumbents running for the Republican nomination and I am fairly
sure neither one of them has ever had a Republican candidate in a primary before. There are several districts
around the state where that is going to be the case. I think it is going to be a wild free for all veto session and
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 8
in veto sessions there is not much outside control of the General Assembly to begin with, but during the veto
session there is virtually zero. It’s scripted, it’s short term, so we will see and by the time we have our Retreat
we will know a little bit more about where that process is headed.
Trustee Maitland: Do you see the Governor calling a special session on any of these after the veto session is
over?
Mr. Adams: No, because I don’t think there is anything on the table that he and the administration are
primarily supporting. So it will be more a matter of him vetoing any new initiatives. The only thing that is
really a new initiative because they held the bill is the gaming package. They haven’t said much publicly
about the pension or the retiree benefit thing, but it would be hard to imagine with his track record and theirs
that they would be on the pension part of it. On the other side there are certainly more votes to do something
about retiree health benefits than there is the pension piece of it. Particularly the folks who are retirees that
are under 65 because that is the group that causes the state the biggest outlay since when you are 65 your
state policy acts as the backup for Medicare, so that is a much smaller impact on the state.
Chairperson McCuskey: What about the Governor’s complaint that they didn’t appropriate enough money to
get through the fiscal year. Wouldn’t that be a possibility for a special session?
Mr. Adams: He could call but having been through them it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to do
anything. Clearly they did not appropriate enough money to keep all the agencies open for the entire fiscal
year. But they are going to be here, although I don’t think they are going to be here a great deal next session
simply because everyone is running in a brand new district and they are going to want to be back there to
meet the new folks. Some of them are going to have challenges that they have not faced before. But they will
be here in time to supplementally pass an appropriations bill to take care of those agencies and they can do
that in March, April or May. The only reason he would bring them back that way, part of his argument on
why he doesn’t have to give the pay raises and why he can in fact lay off people even though they have that
signed agreement is that language about subject to appropriation and him trying to make the argument that
they didn’t give him the money so I don’t have to do it. It might bolster his argument legally, but calling it
back is not going to generate an appropriation bill. They are not going to let them close a prison because they
didn’t appropriate enough money.
Trustee Bergman: You mentioned earlier when talking about the gaming bill that we had a stake in it. Other
than this poker machine deal he opted in and opted out – does the University have any other stake in the
gaming bill?
Mr. Adams: Well, our stake in the gaming bill is for the use of those funds to be able to go out and bond
these capital projects.
Trustee Bergman: Again, other than the previous poker machine deal, is any of the money that would come
in from the gaming bill something that is dedicated to these bonds that you are talking about?
Mr. Adams: I think the only impact would be fairly indirectly in terms of more state revenue takes some
pressure off our continued slide of now I believe under 20% state funded through GRF. But if they don’t deal
with the horse racing industry, I don’t think there is a chance to pass that thing in the House.
REPORTS
I have three reports for you this morning. With your approval, Trustee McCuskey, I will move to these
reports.
Report 2011.10/4000.02: Promotions, Tenure and Sabbatical Leave Report
Promotion, tenure and sabbatical decisions that take effect in FY2012 are completed in the fall and spring of
FY2011. That report is among the materials you received this morning. Promotion, tenure and sabbatical
decisions that took effect in 2011, which include January through June of this year, are included in your
packets. The reports outline the application and review process for those decisions.
Also provided in the report are summary data on this year’s applications, rank distribution over the past
decade for tenured faculty and lists of the FY2012 changes in status.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 9
Report 2011.10/4000.03: Oral English Proficiency Report
In 1986, the Illinois General Assembly moved to require that University governing boards ensure the oral
English proficiency of all personnel providing classroom instruction. Illinois State immediately put a
mechanism in place to comply with the legislative action.
Information about our policies and procedures is distributed to all students each semester in the Class
Registration Directory. During the 2010-2011 academic year, no complaints were filed about the English
speaking ability of instructors at Illinois State.
Report 2011.10/1000.02: Affirmative Action Plan
The FY2012 Affirmative Action Plan is a document that expresses Illinois State University’s commitment to
achieving equal opportunity in employment, as well as a representation of the University’s affirmative duty
to provide a positive multi-cultural experience to our students, faculty and staff members.
Represented in the plan, that is included in your packets, are the University’s efforts to increase the visibility
of employment opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups, educate faculty and staff on the
recruitment resources and funding available to assist in the advertisement of employee vacancies, highlight
the advancements and setbacks in our efforts and set forth expectations for improvements. I would like to
thank our Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics and Access, Shane McCreery, for preparing
this report.
ACTION ITEMS
There are 10 resolutions for the Board’s consideration this morning. With your approval, Trustee McCuskey,
I will move to them now.
Resolution 2011.10/28: FY2012 Internal Budget
The Illinois Board of Higher Education, as part of its accountability efforts, requires that the Board of
Trustees review and approve a line-item internal budget each fall. The specific line-items are provided by the
IBHE and match those in our appropriation bill.
Also included in this item is a summary of FY2011 projected and actual revenues. Summary tables provide
budget and expenditure information by sources of funds.
I would like to point out a few of the more pertinent features in this report.
Table 1shows that actual revenues from all funds sources in FY2011 are about $9.7 million more than
estimated. The increase occurred in every fund source except state appropriations. Table 1 also shows that
we are projecting about a $10.9 million increase in revenue in FY2012— a 2.8 percent increase over what
was generated last year.
Most of that increase will come from tuition revenue increases. Less than 25 percent of the total estimated
institutional revenue will come from State appropriated funds in FY2012.
Table 2 in your report shows that 43.2 percent of our resources are spent on the core functions of instruction,
organized research and public service. When academic support is added—a category that includes Milner
Library—the proportion reaches 50 percent.
Table 3 provides another look at how our revenue is spent. This table shows that 54.7 percent of our
resources are spent on personal services and benefits. It underscores how labor-intensive a university is—
and this is just an average. Contractual services, the second largest category, include our utility expenditures.
Another $3.1 million will go to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services for Group Health
Insurance. I ask your approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion for approval? Trustee Maitland so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Davis. I think you were overly generous to the state. I think your wording was less than 25% of the
total estimated institutional revenue will come from state appropriated funds in FY2012. We are right at the
point where the actual might be slightly under 20% when we end the next fiscal year. It’s just a matter of
time that we will be under 20% and that is one of our problems when it comes to tuition. And we are actually
fairly happy with Governor Quinn because we thought it would be worse.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 10
Mr. Adams: That is true. The fact that we are staying current in this fiscal year and we are going to catch up
in the past year by the end of December is even more astounding.
President Bowman: Over the last eight years it’s fallen from 33% down to less than 20%.
Chairperson McCuskey: And as I said last year that goes on the back of the students. As the state’s funding
goes down it has to be made up somewhere else. It means we fire or lay personnel off, we don’t do any cost
of living or we increase tuition, and that is where it has been on the back of students and their parents. Other
comments? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/29: FY2013 Appropriated Budget Request: Operating and Capital
Each year at this time the University asks the Board to approve its appropriated funds operating budget
request and its capital appropriation request to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
For FY2013, Illinois State is seeking an additional $10.4 million in State appropriated funds to support core
programs and services, an increase of 13.2 percent over the FY2012 appropriation.
We have requested $4.6 million for salary increases, which represents 3 percent of the appropriated funds
personal services base.
As you know, maintaining new and existing facilities is critical to the University, and our needs continue to
increase. Our backlog of deferred maintenance on campus exceeds $450 million and it is in the State’s best
interest to protect their investment in state-built facilities.
While our Capital Request addresses some of the larger rehabilitation needs, there are numerous smaller
projects for which resources our needed. The FY2013 request includes $2.5 million in deferred maintenance
funds, which is about one percent of the general revenue deferred maintenance backlog.
In addition, we are requesting just over $813,000 to support the Mennonite College of Nursing Doctoral
Program. During FY2012 and FY2013, Mennonite will be doubling its traditional BSN program. The
University has reallocated funds for increased costs in FY2012, however, requested state support for this
program expansion is substantiated by the following facts:
The Institute of Medicine calls for the country to increase the number of RNs with BSNs from 50 percent to
80 percent and to double nurses with doctorates by 2020. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more
than 581,000 new RN positions will be created nationally through 2018. Many students are turned away
from Illinois nursing programs each year because of faculty shortages—and our program is designed to
address that shortage.
On the capital side of the equation, we request $260.8 million in state appropriations for FY2013, which
includes $3.1 million for Capital Renewal projects.
The capital projects include the Milner Library Rehabilitation, Mennonite College of Nursing Building,
College of Education Facilities Rehabilitation, University High School Replacement and Williams Hall
renovation. The Fine Arts Complex is not on that list because that project was appropriated previously.
Information about each project is in your packet.
The capital renewal projects are the replacement of exterior doors and windows in Metcalf School and
Fairchild and Rachel Cooper Halls as well as replacing an emergency generator. Again, a short description of
the project is in your packet. I ask your approval for this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Palmer so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Dobski. Any discussion?
Trustee Bergman: Just a quick comment and I think all my colleagues on the Board know this, passing this
resolution – asking for capital funds, asking for the increase in operational funding is something we have to
do and we do every year. I don’t think anyone should go to the bank and start spending the funds just yet. I
think the chances for any additional capital money this next year is about zilch. In terms of any difference in
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 11
operating funds, it might go up or down a percentage or two at best. But it is something the University has to
do, something the Board of Higher Education legally has to do to go through to present recommendations to
the General Assembly.
Chairperson McCuskey: I appreciate you adding that commentary, which I believe is accurate. Mr. Adams,
any disagreement?
Mr. Adams: None.
Chairperson McCuskey: Any further comments? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members
present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/30: Contract for Mainframe Outsourcing Agreement
This resolution responds to our need to modernize our aging student information systems infrastructure. Our
current mainframe platform is nearing the end of its lifecycle, and we seek to negotiate with vendors to
achieve a four-year contract with up to six one-year mutually agreeable renewals for mainframe outsourcing
services. The annual cost is not to exceed $1,950,000 during the initial four-year contract. The annual
renewal costs are not to increase by more than 5 percent per year during the six one-year renewal periods. I
ask your approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Dobski so moved and motion seconded by
Trustee Maitland. Any discussion? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting
aye.
Resolution 2011.10/31: Authorization to Exercise Real Estate Deposit and Option Agreement for Fell and
School St. Properties
One goal of our master planning process is to acquire strategic property near campus. From 2004 to 2006
properties at 302 N. School and at 209 through 215 N. Fell became available. With these land parcels being
identified as strategic to the future development of ISU, the University entered into option agreements that
preserved our right to obtain the parcels at a future date. The properties currently contain student apartment
buildings totaling 80 units. The University has determined the time is right to acquire these properties,
providing us another temporary housing option for students. After the money already paid for the options is
subtracted from the purchase price, the net cost would be $2,224,750. We also request $600,000 for the
owners to improve the facilities—bringing them up to University specifications. I ask your approval of this
resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Palmer so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Bergman. Any discussion?
Trustee Bergman: Just so I understand what we are doing here – we are acquiring the apartment buildings
and giving the selling owners money to fix them up to bring them up to standards. The University will
continue to operate them as student housing until such time as we need the space or land for something else
and then we will do whatever is necessary. Do I understand this correctly?
President Bowman: Yes.
Chairperson McCuskey: Any timetable for the improvement of the property?
Dr. Layzell: It will be during this year so that they will be ready for fall 2012.
Trustee Palmer: Will these apartments fall under the same types of rules as on campus such as like Cardinal
Court?
Dr. Dietz: I would say generally they will. There is an issue there now about the folks that are in there as to
whether they are all students or not. We will have to do a little more research to find who is using the
property but the general parameters of housing will apply.
Dr. Layzell: Just as a point of information, I believe all but one individual I are students.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 12
Trustee Maitland: So what type of improvements are we talking about?
Dr. Layzell: We will be working with facility services and housing to go through and identify the painting,
new appliances, new carpet and things of that nature.
Dr. Dietz: It’s not infrastructure, it’s really cosmetic and bringing it up to a level consistent with what
housing would have.
Trustee Maitland: So this amount of $600,000 is just kind of an estimate?
Dr. Layzell: It’s our best guess at this point.
Chairperson McCuskey: It’s sort of like a contract where you are telling people we are going to buy it if you
do a, b, c & d. They have these requirements that they have to do and it’s going to be done in the next 12
months?
Dr. Layzell: Yes.
Trustee Palmer: So sophomores won’t be allowed in this facility?
Dr. Dietz: There is a possibility. They are not set up in the traditional way that we set up apartment buildings
in terms of RAs and so forth, but there is a possibility that some sophomores would be allowed to live there.
We are also looking at the possibility of special populations – we have some things that are pending with
International Studies and Programs, for example, and on the academic side we have some international
students that we might want to accommodate there as well, graduate students potentially. So we are still in
the process of sorting that out.
Trustee Palmer: Okay, I was just asking because it says students that are at least 21 years of age and have at
least 60 completed credit hours.
Chairperson McCuskey: Any further discussion? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members
present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/32: Town of Normal Fire Services Agreement
This resolution requests authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Normal for
fire protection services for this fiscal year at a cost not to exceed $508,014. I ask your approval of this
resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Kinser so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Maitland. This is a $7,000 increase from last year, so it’s not a very big increase percentage wise.
Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/33: University High School Locker Room Renovation
This resolution requests approval to establish budgets, appoint architects and engineers, develop required
design and construction documents and award bids to undertake the capital construction project on
renovating University High School’s Locker Room. The project cost is not to exceed $600,000 with funds
coming from a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Grant and Institutional Funds. I ask
your approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Bergman so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Davis. I am assuming this is for all the locker rooms?
Dr. Curtis: These locker rooms have not been renovated since the building was built.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 13
Trustee Dobski: Is there a list regarding University High and what needs to be fixed and when, and is there a
long-range plan for the high school?
Dr. Curtis: There is a maintenance record and preferences, but these dollars came specifically for that project
from the state, so that is what it is going to.
Chairperson McCuskey: Any further discussion? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members
present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/34: Hovey Hall Plumbing Replacement
Everyone who has worked in Hovey Hall is familiar with its water, which unfortunately is a light to medium
shade of brown. That is because the plumbing is original to the building, which was constructed in 1948,
with an addition in 1966. This resolution seeks authorization to replace the plumbing at a cost not to exceed
$500,000. I asked your approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Davis so moved and was seconded by Trustee
Kinser. Any discussion?
Trustee Maitland: This is for a complete replacement?
President Bowman: Yes, the old original and the newer addition.
Trustee Dobski: The ADA requirements, once you get into that plumbing as far as restrooms, etc – is that
going to be brought into play here?
Dr. Layzell: Yes, it will. This project is going to be done in coordination with the other remodeling work
taking place in Hovey. So part of the ADA issue will be handled with the other remodeling as well.
Trustee Kinser: Is the water safe in Hovey?
President Bowman: It is safe – it is just discolored.
Chairperson McCuskey: Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/35: Capen Auditorium Rehabilitation
Other than two performance rooms, Capen Auditorium in Edwards Hall, represents the largest assembly area
on campus, with seating for 600. The proposed rehabilitation project calls for life-safety improvements,
painting, stage modifications, new carpeting, curtains and technological enhancements.
The project, which will cost $1,564,000, will be paid through Capital Development Board funds. I ask your
approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Palmer so moved and was seconded by
Trustee Maitland.
Trustee Palmer: I am really glad that we are doing this. In my freshmen year I was in the biggest class that
ISU ever had – over 600 for a Geology class and the seats were falling apart then and the little desks that you
put your books on were in need of repair, so I am really glad that this is all going to be improved and the
acoustics too. It does get a lot of use. Is the seating going to change at all or is it going to be about the same?
President Bowman: I am not sure – Dan is that part of this project?
Dr. Layzell: Same number of seats.
Trustee Bergman: I thought a year or two ago we approved around $1 million or more for some work in
Capen – is that correct?
Dr. Layzell: It was part of our request to the state. It was our capital renewal request that was approved and
so now that the funds have been released we can do the project.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 14
Mr. Adams: We tried to get money for this project the first year Senator Maitland was chairman of the
appropriations, so it’s been a while.
Chairperson McCuskey: Thank goodness we have the fiscal responsibility to do the maintenance because as
Phil points our sometimes it will be about 30-40 years before the state gives you the money for this
maintenance.
Chairperson McCuskey: Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
Resolution 2010.11.10/36:Felmly Hall Heating Conversion
When Felmley Hall of Science was constructed in 1930, with an Annex added in 1964, it came with a steamheating system. Part of that system was replaced in 1970, and in the last 40 years, the system has
deteriorated to a point where it is no longer reliable or cost effective to maintain. We proposed to replace the
outdated system with a hot water heating system that is modern and will greatly reduce maintenance costs.
The total project cost is $1,500,000 and will be paid for with Capital Development Bond funds. I ask your
approval of this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Davis so moved and was seconded by Trustee
Maitland. Any discussion?
Trustee Dobski: We did a cosmetic renovation for a large amount a few years ago and I am just wondering
about spending the money – would it have better to tear the building down and rebuild - $1.5 million now
and is there more to come?
President Bowman: It’s endless. The exterior of those buildings is so solid that it is worth investing over time
to maintain and continue to use them. Cook Hall was actually built in 1896 and it has been renovated for
various uses over time, so our strategy is to invest in the buildings and repurpose them as our needs change
and McCormick Hall is a good example where we used that approach. At some point you decide – we have
made that decision with Hamilton-Whitten/Atkin-Colby residence halls where it is not cost effective to invest
in the renovations, so we made a decision to discontinue their use.
Chairperson McCuskey: Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members present voting aye.
Resolution 2011.10/37: Redbird Arena—Men’s Locker Room Construction
Part of our master planning process calls for the finishing of the lower level of Redbird Arena. In 2002, a
concrete floor was poured, and in 2004 the Board approved the first major construction in the lower level—
the Owen Strength and Conditioning Center. Since then, smaller projects, not requiring Board authorization,
have been completed to improve operations and event productions. This resolution asks authorization to
build a new men’s locker room as well as a teaching area. The cost is $540,000, with the funds coming from
donor gifts and in-kind contributions. I ask your approval for this resolution.
Chairperson McCuskey: Is there a motion to approve? Trustee Davis so moved and was seconded by Trustee
Maitland. Those of us who entered Redbird Arena and sat in those seats from day one, is it true that there was
just nothing underneath that place and you have done kind of a piece-meal over the last 20 plus years?
Mr. Lyons: About half the building underneath was not finished. If you would see the locker room hallway
on the west side, that was partially completed. And on the east side that was unfinished.
Chairperson McCuskey: I know when we have commencement I have always been shocked as a member of
the Board of Trustees the limitation on the women’s locker room and I guess they didn’t ask for a big enough
bond issue, but we built a first-class basketball arena and absolutely nothing for the people who use it
underneath and you are still chasing funds, right?
Mr. Lyons: When the building was built the locker rooms at that time were considered adequate. Now 20
some years later it is time to address the issues at hand and with the new strength and conditioning center
being built it allowed us to plan for a men’s locker room in the old strength space and then as the men move
out we will renovate the existing men’s locker room space and move volleyball over there and then upgrade
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 15
the existing women’s volleyball space into just a women’s basketball locker room and also improve our
training room at the same time. So this is the first step of the locker room improvements.
Chairperson McCuskey: Am I correct that much if not all of this money is either from donors or in-kind?
Mr. Lyons: All funds are donor or in-kind. The pledges that we have in place – we will use some on the
men’s locker room and as those pledges are fulfilled we certainly hope that will take care of the women’s
basketball, volleyball locker rooms and training room. We think we have those in place for the future. We
don’t expect those to come back to the Board because it will be more renovation instead of new construction.
Chairperson McCuskey: Any further questions? Motion made, seconded and vote recorded as all members
present voting aye.
Chairperson McCuskey: That concludes today’s business. Thank you, President Bowman, and thank you all
for joining us today.
I would now entertain a motion to move into Executive Session for the purpose of considering the
appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees
pursuant to 5ILCS, Section 120/2 (c)(1); collective negotiating matters between the University and its
employees, 5ILCS, Section 120/2 (c)(2); litigation which has been filed and is pending before a court or
administrative tribunal, as allowed in 5ILCS, Section 120/2 (c)(11); and the purchase or lease of real property
as allowed in 5ILCS, Section 120/2 (c)(5). Is there a motion?
We will now move into Executive Session. At the close of Executive Session, the Board will reconvene in
public session only for the purpose of adjournment. Thank you all for coming today.
Board of Trustees – Minutes
10/21/2011
P age 16