I want to follow up on President Stanley Ikenberry’s note to all university staff and faculty about the implementation of furloughs, a hiring freeze, and related issues at the University of Illinois.
Clearly, the university and UIS are facing our most serious budgetary times in recent history.
The president’s letter describes the initial steps we are taking in response to the budget problems. I expect there to be a lot of communication among us in the days and weeks to come as we implement these steps.
The simple hard fact is that the state of Illinois cannot pay and is not paying its bills. That includes money owed to the University of Illinois. So we must enact measures to assure that we will be able to meet our payroll obligations. If we are unable to do that, we would not be able to keep our focus on our essential mission: to provide an excellent education and college experience to our students. We must also remain in pursuit of our vision to become one of the top five small public liberal arts universities in the nation. We must see to it that we do not halt or reverse the progress we have made in recent years, and I am confident that, working together, we will not.
The UIS community has a remarkable way of rising to the occasion. Now we must continue to work together and stay in communication as we face new obstacles.
Provost Harry Berman and I will preside at two open forums for the UIS community. Both forums will be in Brookens Auditorium:
- Tuesday, January 5: 3 to 4:30pm
- Tuesday, January 12: 2 to 3:30pm
Dr. Berman and I want to listen to your concerns and answer any questions you have. We will have brief remarks. Then most of the forum will be a Question and Answer session.
For the latest information, please see the following web sites:
- Official information from the University of Illinois:
www.uillinois.edu/our/news/budget/2010Furlough.cfm - This UIS website will be updated as information develops:
www.uis.edu/budget/ - Please use this online form to submit your questions or comments to UIS administration:
https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/8500062
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