Barely a month after Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the operating budget for 2008, the University Board of Trustees began debating the University’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2009.

The proposal followed the modest increases the board has become used to seeing each year. The most contention centered on a 3 percent increase in salary improvements for faculty. The proposed increases have remained at 3 percent for the last few years, said Trustee Frances Carroll.

“If we can find millions of dollars for a global campus, we can find something for our faculty,” Carroll said, adding that she supports the Global Campus Initiative.

University President B. Joseph White agreed that the quality of the faculty needs to be placed at the “front lines” of University priorities.

The University is grateful for all of the federal and state money it receives, he said. White also offered an alternative to requesting more state funds he will pursue later this year referred to as a “resource summit.”

The summit will include around 100 faculty who will look at the money the University has, not ways to get more. White wants to examine the core cost structure of the University and take a hard look at how it prioritizes spending.

“Are we trying to support too much university with too few dollars?” White said. “We have to address the cost issues and getting money to the front lines (for faculty).”

Chairman Lawrence Eppley compared the situation to 12 men on a 10-man lifeboat. He said at some point the University needs either more money or to seriously consider cutting spending for future initiatives.

“It’s not just the cost structure,” Eppley said. “You can cut cost only so far before you lose productivity.”

Trustee Robert Sperling was the biggest proponent of increasing money to retain faculty.

“Great students learn from great faculty,” he said, “and if we don’t keep those faculty we won’t get some of those great students, and some won’t become great students.”

The board also approved a motion to move ahead on developments for the Natural History Survey Building. The building will optimize the use of natural lighting and temperature control, among other things, and will also be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Silver, rating the environmental friendliness of the building.

Questions arose over future expansion possibilities of the building site to incorporate all the survey buildings, along with wireless capabilities. Trustees discussed moving all the survey buildings into a type of survey campus. No plans are currently in the works, but the possibility will be discussed in the future.

Presentations were made on the Illinois Extension program, the Energy Task Force and the current Flash Index.

The extension program partners Illinois businesses with University resources to help them expand and grow. The Energy Task Force presented ways to improve the energy efficiency and conservation efforts on campus. The Flash Index is a monthly report by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs showing the status of the Illinois economy.

Trustee Robert Vickery suggested looking into ways to make the index more visible in the state and called for more practical application.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14 in Springfield, Ill.