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August 5, 2003
BOARD TO ACT ON RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE FACULTY DIVERSITY,
AFFORDABILITY
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
will take action on two major policy items at its August 12 meeting
at Chicago State University;
one addressing recommended steps to improve faculty diversity throughout
Illinois higher education, the other an action plan to protect Illinois'
standing as an affordable place to go to college. Their agenda also
includes a preview of issues impacting fiscal year 2005 budget development
for Illinois higher education and draft recommendations on health
professions education programs.
Board members will vote on recommendations contained in Opportunities
for Leadership: Strategies for Improving Faculty Diversity in Illinois
Higher Education, the product of a study of minority representation
on faculties. The study recommends steps to better develop pools
of available minority candidates for faculty positions, to ensure
that diversity is a central component of campus job searches, to
create a welcoming climate for diverse groups, and to engage higher
education leadership in promoting diversity as a key part of the
campus mission.
Also on the agenda
for the August 12 meeting is Board action on recommendations
of the Committee on Affordability, a joint endeavor of the IBHE
and Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and co-chaired by Board
members Robert English and J. Robert Barr. The committee's recommendations
include putting a priority on funding for the Monetary Award Program
(MAP) as well as on maintaining a stable base of funding for public
colleges and universities, expanding the Illinois Incentive for
Access program to serve more low-income students, making a four-year
graduation guarantee universal among public universities and initiating
a two-year version for community colleges, strengthening high school
graduation standards so students enter college ready for the academic
rigors they encounter, increasing awareness of college costs for
families and students, and creating a biennial "state-of-affordability
report" to monitor financial needs.
Board members will also receive a preview of the context for developing
budget
recommendations for fiscal year 2005. The comprehensive report
notes that "while it is still very early in the Board's fiscal
year 2005 budget development process, it is clear that there will
continue to be limited resources available, and many needs and budget
pressures to be addressed." Several long-time Board priorities
including maintaining and enhancing affordability and improving
faculty and staff salary competitiveness, as well as emerging program
needs and priorities will receive close attention as the Board develops
its fiscal year 2005 budget recommendations - and considers the
trade-offs involved - over the next few months.
Also on the agenda are the findings
and recommendations of the Board's Committee on Health Professions
Education Programs, led by Board Chairman James L. Kaplan. The
committee's report concludes that, while current Board policies
are adequate and should be maintained, some adjustments to Board
priorities are necessary to reflect current and emerging statewide
needs in the health professions. The recommendations include changes
to the Health Services Education Grants Act (HSEGA) program administered
by the Board, ensuring that these resources are targeted to those
areas of highest need. The committee also recommends a regular review
cycle for health professions policies and priorities as well as
additional accountability measures for the HSEGA program.
The Board will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 102 of the Business and Health
Sciences Building at Chicago State.
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