HE.05.12
September 19, 2005

University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign Senate
Final;Information

HE.05.12 Report on the IBHE Faculty Advisory Council Meeting, April 29, 2005

The FAC met in the Wojcik Conference Center at William Rainey Harper College, Palatine; Chair Allan Karnes (SIU-C) presided. The Center was named after State Senator Kay Wojcik, (R) Schaumberg (see below). Special guest was Harper Faculty Senate President Michael Harkins.

Renate von Keudell (Harper College FAC representative) introduced Robert L. Breuder, President of the College, who welcomed the FAC. Harper College is a two-year public college, with an enrollment of more than 40 thousand students -- about 25 thousand FTEs. President Brueder remarked on the College’s new state-of-the-art Avanté Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies, which was built after District 512 approved an $89 million referendum.

Following the welcome, Chair Karnes introduced a panel for a discussion on “Higher Education in the 2005 Legislative Session.” State Senators on the panel included Edward Maloney, (D) Chicago, Chairperson, Senate Higher Education Committee; Miguel del Valle, (D) Chicago, Member, Higher Education Committee, Co-Chair, Education Funding Reform; Kathleen (Kay) Wojcik, (R) Schaumberg, Licensed Activities (Minority Spokesperson); David Sullivan, (R) Mt. Prospect, Environment & Energy (Minority Spokesperson); Wendell Jones, (R) Palatine, Local Government (Minority Spokesperson); and Terry Link, (D) Lake Bluff, Majority Caucus Chair, Revenue (Vice-Chairperson), Property Tax Reform (Sub-Chairperson). The panel also included Michael Monaghan, Executive Director, Illinois Community College Trustees Association.  Discussion focused on the state’s current budget crisis and its impact on higher education; on SB/HB 750 (School District Property Tax Relief Fund); and on pending legislation for pension reform.

After the panel discussion, there was a brief meeting of FAC committees: Advocacy and Public Information (Ron Howell), Quality and Legislative Contact (Les Hyder), Resources and Legislative Correspondence (David Bardack), and Higher Education Issues (Anne Draznin).

Following lunch, FAC reconvened for a meeting with Dr. Margaret Skold, VP Academic Affairs, and Sheila Quirk, Assoc VP Strategic Planning & Alliances, to discuss Harper College’s proposal to offer a pilot bachelor’s degrees in two selected areas of study, nursing and technology management (see SB 131).  Various concerns were expressed by many FAC members regarding the proposal.

Michael Grossman
UIUC Senate FAC Alternative Representative