FAQ

How will decisions be made?

All decisions will be based on our Strategic Plan and our stated values of protecting academic quality, serving our students and others who depend on us and minimizing adverse effects on our people. We will ask colleges, departments, and other units to make decisions based on their stated strategic priorities, taking into account their unique fiscal situations.

How can I be sure decisions will be made fairly and what are you doing to make sure people at all levels have a voice?

The Campus Strategic Plan will remain our foundation, guiding all decisions regarding how to invest our available resources to maintain our position as one of the nation’s leading public research universities.

No matter where you are within the organization, you can participate in the decision-making process. If you aren’t a member of a professional organization at Illinois, consider getting involved. Meetings have been and continue to be held with recognized employee groups, including union leadership, providing updates as more is learned. If you have specific ideas you’d like to share with the administration, submit them to the “Virtual Suggestion Box” link on this site.

What measures have been taken to save money?

We have asked units to limit all travel, unless it is crucial for research or development purposes. New hiring by units has been curtailed and creation of most new positions delayed. Before the current budget uncertainty developed, we had already begun a series of measures to become more sustainable. Details are available at the “Energy Conservation” link on this site.

What personnel actions may be required?

The University faces three financial challenges. First, we anticipate a cash rescission from the state for the current fiscal year. We hope to address that without any reduction in force. Second, a rescission this year means a likely reduced state budget for FY 2009-10. To manage a reduction in that budget, it is possible that furloughs or lay-offs could be necessary. However, this will be done as other solutions are also considered. Those solutions would include retirements, leaving vacant positions unfilled and redeploying current employees. The third challenge is ensuring that the institution is poised for success in the long-term. That goal must stay in focus throughout the entire budgeting process. We will engage in new efforts and initiatives but the pace of implementation could be impacted.

Can’t you move money from the endowment, athletics or student fees to help offset the crunch?

Funding for the campus comes from seven major sources: tuition (25%); grants, contracts and federal appropriations (22%); state appropriations (18%); auxiliary enterprises (12%); gifts and endowment income (8%); institutional funds (8%) and departmental activities (7%). State law prohibits any movement of funding from one of those areas to another, except for some pooling of tuition and state dollars.

Additionally, money given to the institution as a gift, endowment or federal grant, for example, is designated by the giver for a specific purpose. Attempting to move it to another purpose would violate the terms of the gift, endowment or grant agreement.

What can I do to report waste that I see?

Speak up! Please report any suggestions you have for increasing the efficiency and effective use of resources on campus to the “Virtual Suggestion Box” link on this site.

Suggestions Offered at Town Hall Meeting

High-level administrators should take the lead in sacrificing.

Agreed. Measures that would honor this principle are under active consideration. Still, this financial challenge faces our entire community, and sacrifice will be required of everyone.

Let faculty, staff and students help lobby in Springfield and Washington, D.C.

The University has many organized efforts to reach out to policy makers in the state and the national level. Nevertheless, every member of the campus community can speak out to friends, neighbors, and community leaders about the importance of higher education in ensuring a bright and prosperous future for our children. Illinois Connection, an advocacy program for the University, maintains an on-line network that facilitates communication between alumni, faculty, students, staff and “friends” and their state legislators. Illinois Connection participants will be armed with the latest facts, figures and news they’ll need to be effective advocates. They will also receive “action alerts” when the state legislature is making key decisions about the University’s budget and other legislative priorities. Register on-line.

Help us switch to a common software platform for the campus.

The IT@Illinois effort is exploring that idea, as well as many others for rethinking how to best serve the information technology needs of the campus community. For more information, click on the “IT@Illinois” link on this site.

Cut out holiday celebrations in departments.

Specific budget decisions will be made by each department. It is likely that many will consider such cost-saving measures that do not impact the academic mission.

Sell unused university-owned property.

The sale of university real or personal property is controlled by state law. If the university wishes to dispose of property it must follow the rules for surplus property which include alternatives for use by other governmental agencies prior to any sale by auction. Most likely any proceeds would go to the state and not return to campus.

We can save money through energy conservation.

Absolutely. In fact, the campus has been implementing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint long before the current budget situation. For more information, click on the “Energy Conservation” link on this site.

Ideas Provided Through Virtual Suggestion Box

In less than one week, we have received approximately 150 suggestions and questions in our “Illinois Ideas” box. We are grateful and excited to receive so much constructive feedback from constituencies across campus and would like to address some of the salient themes that have been identified.

Mail and Printing
Many respondents indicated that there has been a proliferation of printed materials distributed across the campus and that some of these materials could either be eliminated or distributed by electronic means. We will explore mechanisms to allow people to opt out of receiving printed publications and instead receive them in electronic forms. We must take into account that some members of our campus community do not have access to email and we do not want to limit their ability to receive important campus communications.

Mandatory Retirement
Illinois statutes and University policy do not allow for the implementation of a mandatory retirement age. Individuals can voluntarily retire at any time. In appropriate cases, where the benefit to the University is clear, there may be opportunities to enter into a retirement agreement. There are laws controlling what the provisions of such agreements must be, so it is important to work with Human Resources and Legal Counsel if this type of arrangement is being considered.

Furloughs
Many members of the campus community have expressed a willingness to take furlough days in the interests of protecting jobs. We are working hard to avoid the necessity of furlough days but it is heartening to know that many faculty and staff are willing to make a sacrifice to protect their colleagues.

Flexible Work-Week Schedules
Several respondents noted potential opportunities to explore a reduced number of service hours and/or four-day work weeks. We are working at identifying the impact on our students of adjusting the campus work-week schedule. Reduced numbers of work days or hours have a direct impact on our ability to deliver instruction and services to and provide safety for our students. We must also define the true cost savings of these types of practices. Several states are implementing a four-day work week for state employees. However, many of these states have excluded employees within higher education.

Utilities Usage/Costs
We continue to examine our utility use across campus through our existing energy conservation activities. New buildings are being constructed with optimal utility use in mind and the energy use of older facilities and buildings is also being studied. When possible, renovations will take place that not only improve the quality of our facilities but also reduce their energy consumption. It is important that each person within our campus community take ownership of his/her own unit’s energy usage practices.