Although the Illinois state legislature has yet to agree on funding for higher education, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees aims to approve their fiscal year 2009 budget during their May meeting Thursday in Chicago.

University spokesman Tom Hardy said that even if the board passes the preliminary budget, changes could be necessary during their July meeting if the state’s budget has been completed. The state budget for 2009 has yet to be completed, including funding for higher education.

“Approval is more or less a formality so that we have an operating budget for the board to act on,” Hardy said.

This will be the last opportunity for the board to approve the budget before it takes effect on July 1.

Discussion surrounding the budget for next year began in June 2007. The board approved a preliminary request in September 2007. From there the budget was sent to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, which made suggestions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the amount of funding that should be given to all public institutions of higher education in the state.

The preliminary budget includes an eight to nine percent increase in state-provided funding, Hardy said. However, Blagojevich’s recommended budget did not include an increase in funding for higher education from fiscal year 2008.

“We need capital funding to be able to attack our facility maintenance and to update our facilities to keep us competitive with other state universities,” Hardy said.

University of Illinois President B. Joseph White, along with other administrators from state universities, have appeared before higher education boards to gain support for increased higher education funding.

“A lot of legislators have been sympathetic to the case that has been made,” Hardy said.

Other topics on Thursday’s agenda

• Official recognition of the African American Studies Program within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Trustees will consider granting formal department status to the program. The Urbana-Champaign Senate approved the change on March 31. At that time, Jennifer Hamer served as the acting director of the program and told The Daily Illini she believed approval of an African-American studies major is the most significant step in the process. That change should be before the Illinois Board of Higher Education at their June meeting.
• Establish an organization for research programs in Singapore: The Urbana campus is requesting approval to establish an organization to qualify for and implement a research program funded by the Singapore government’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research. The program would benefit the College of Engineering and is consistent with recent efforts to globalize the University of Illinois brand. The request includes creating a liability company to oversee research programs and a subsidiary to direct business activities in Singapore.
• Approve contracts and hirings for continued campus projects: These requests include a contract with a Decatur general contracting company for necessary repairs to the roof of the indoor pool in the Intramural Physical Education Building discovered during construction. An amendment to the Memorial Stadium renovation increases salary for Hunt Construction Group staff to cover additional work time and reimbursable tasks at the site.

• Compiled by Katie Foody