[Peace] PICKET BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR CHRIS KENNEDY'S SPEECH, Monday, March 14th, 11:30 AM

[Brussel Morton K.]

Pardon me, but your response is grotesque. You don't favor institutions for education and research!? You are against universities? 

You haven't answered any of my questions! 

Clearly, you don't like some of the research, and some courses, especially those that defend/perpetuate various current governmental policies. That is akin to throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Why don't you quit your job at the university—Are you not tainted by it? 

It is more than disappointing to read such inanity.

--mkb


On Mar 13, 2011, at 1:03 PM, David Green wrote:

> "defending the institution" is exactly what Hogan is doing. It's rather pathetic that activist groups can't think of anything different.
>  
> DG
> 
> From: Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
> To: David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Ben Rothschild <rothsch2 at gmail.com>; undergraduate-graduate-alliance <undergraduate-graduate-alliance at googlegroups.com>; SC <geo-stewards at lists.uigeo.org>;announce at lists.communitycourtwatch.org; discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org; peace at lists.chambana.net; students-for-a-united-illinois at googlegroups.com; illinois-education-rights at googlegroups.com; Campus Labor Coalition <campuslabor at lists.uigeo.org>; defend-education at googlegroups.com; Tahreer Araj <araj1 at illinois.edu>
> Sent: Sat, March 12, 2011 4:34:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [Peace] PICKET BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR CHRIS KENNEDY'S SPEECH, Monday, March 14th, 11:30 AM
> 
> So, what do you propose?  That the legislature not listen to Hogan about how good (virtuous) the university is for the state? That Hogan and the whole administrative apparatus be done away with (by the legislature or the governor?)? What would you have liked Hogan to say to the legislators?  Would you prefer that he have nothing to do with them? 
> 
> You are implying  that the whole system is rotten without prescribing what to do effectively about it. 
> 
> Just my reaction—and I am not fond of Hogan and company, and the direction that the system is moving towards. But I do believe that the university must be defended as an institution for education and research and its state funding increased, albeit recognizing that there are many needy projects to be considered in addition to the university.   Would you favor an increased contribution from the state to the university, or less (as long as the campus contributes to the military-industrial capitalist complex)?
> 
> --mkb
> 
> On Mar 12, 2011, at 2:23 PM, David Green wrote:
> 
>> Friends,
>>  
>> I've pasted a campus-wide e-mail from President Michael Hogan at the end of this message which I'm sure most of you received. The assumption of this e-mail is that "we," the "U of I community," must naturally support his efforts to promote the virtues of our university. To me, it's important to understand that this laundry list is not only provinical boosterism on the one hand, but propaganda on the other. We are asked, as a "community," to accept the basic economic assumptions of corporate higher education and "human capital" in an unjust society. We are asked to view ourselves in solidarity as an "interest group" in relation to the state legislature. We are asked not to question anything fundamental about the corporate-military state and the university's integration into that state. As workers for social justice, we are asked to allow ourselves to be co-opted in the name of a few dollars more or less for the U of I budget from our magnanimous legislature.
>>  
>> When Hogan sends out such a message, he can't imagine why anyone who receives a paycheck from or pays tuition to the university could possibly not support him wholeheartedly, at least out of "self interest." But we must honestly ask ourselves: If the university contributes so much economically to our state, then why does our state's economy suck? Or our nation's? The answer will be found in long-term policies that have been wholeheartedly supported for decades by university administrators and corporate elites like Michael Hogan, which generally go under the rubric of neoliberalism, corporatism, privatization, and military-industrialism; that is, class warfare. And to keep this academic virtue going, all the way to utopia, we need just a few more dollars from the state legislature?
>>  
>> Through my place of employment, the Institute for Government and Public Affairs, I also received an e-mail "personally" from Robert Rich urgently requesting my attendance at the talk by Kennedy on Monday. I am perplexed by this--as if they were worried they wouldn't fill the seats for this momentous occasion (to hear boosterism-propaganda about the research university), or as if they are worried that the seats will be filled by the "wrong people." The request for RSVPs is also unusual, as if this were a cocktail party to "meet a Kennedy." Let me add that the IGPA is a "non-partisan" policy research and advisory group that in no way supports any view that might challenge the fundamental assumptions of the political and corporate establishments, and business-as-usual. That is what "non-partisan" means in an academic context.
>>  
>> I could be making too much of this, but this occasion nevertheless presents an obvious opportunity, in the spirit of Cairo and Madison. Chris Kennedy represents what President Clark Kerr represented to Berkeley students during the Free Speech Movement in 1964: managerialism, corporatism, conformity, business as ususal: "the best of all possible worlds." In 1964, California was experiencing prosperity probably unparalled in any state at any time in the history of this country, before or since, and school was essentially free, but students rebelled against the condescension of university administrators, and much more (racism, the Vietnam War).
>>  
>> I would encourage demonstrators to look well beyond the issue of tuition hikes and other more immediate economic concerns, as well as demands related to admissions policies, to these fundamental political, social, and economic contexts. I would encourage local social justice organizations to see this as an opportunity to discourage "business as usual" on this occasion. I would suggest that prior to this event, there be collective and open meetings and discussions of agendas, demands, and plans of action. This seems to me like an opportunity that reflects the confluence of the spirit of our times, for worse and better.
>>  
>> David Green
>> 
>> From: Ben Rothschild <rothsch2 at gmail.com>
>> To: undergraduate-graduate-alliance <undergraduate-graduate-alliance at googlegroups.com>; SC <geo-stewards at lists.uigeo.org>; announce at lists.communitycourtwatch.org;discuss at lists.communitycourtwatch.org; peace at lists.chambana.net; students-for-a-united-illinois at googlegroups.com; illinois-education-rights at googlegroups.com; Campus Labor Coalition <campuslabor at lists.uigeo.org>; defend-education at googlegroups.com
>> Sent: Sat, March 12, 2011 10:33:41 AM
>> Subject: [Peace] PICKET BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR CHRIS KENNEDY'S SPEECH, Monday, March 14th, 11:30 AM
>> 
>> PICKET BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR CHRIS KENNEDY'S SPEECH
>> 
>> Monday, March 14th, 11:30 AM
>> Beckman Institute, 405 North Mathews Avenue, URBANA, ILLINOIS
>> 
>> The University is raising tuition by over $500. Last year, they hiked by it $1000 and MAP Grant funding is being cut. Yet they gave the president a $170,000 pay raise. The tuition hike vote is taking place on March 23rd, during our spring break, in Springfield!
>> 
>> STOP THE TUITION HIKE! Increase Underrepresented Minority Student Enrollment! Create a Financial Aid Program for Undocumented Students! Fair Contract for ALL UI Workers! Education is Not a Business - No More Privatization!
>> 
>> REMEMBER TO RESERVE A SEAT AT THE SPEECH:
>> http://igpa.uillinois.edu/chris-kennedy
>> 
>> See attached flyer.
>> 
>> Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigration Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN)
>>  
>> ______________________
>>  
>> Dear Colleagues,
>> 
>> On Wednesday I had an opportunity to testify before the state Senate 
>> Appropriations II Committee. It was a great forum for me to articulate 
>> the "value proposition," as one senator put it, of the state's investment 
>> in the University of Illinois. I was able to share our many outstanding 
>> accomplishments, including:
>> 
>> - The University of Illinois produces about $13.1 billion per year in 
>> direct and indirect economic impact on the Illinois economy -- a return 
>> of more than $17 for every $1 the state invests through its annual 
>> appropriation to the University.
>> - University of Illinois operations directly and indirectly generate more 
>> than 150,000 jobs in the state annually. 
>> - The annual activity of our University creates more than $1.3 billion in 
>> future tax revenue to the state, resulting in a net annual gain to the 
>> state of about $535 million.  
>> - The vast health sciences complex on our Chicago campus educates a 
>> significant number of health care professionals practicing in Illinois 
>> and provides state-of-the-art care through more than 400,000 patient 
>> visits each year.
>> - Our Springfield campus, among the best public liberal arts universities 
>> in the Midwest, has garnered national recognition for its advances in 
>> online education and blended learning.
>> - Graduates of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have the 
>> highest median mid-career salary among graduates of all Big Ten 
>> universities, and the ninth-highest median mid-career salary among all 
>> U.S. public research universities.
>> - Our Urbana campus students have the second-highest graduation rate in 
>> the Big Ten and second-lowest debt upon graduation.
>> - The combined federal research funding across our campuses puts us in 
>> the top five among U.S. public research universities.
>> - The wages and salaries of our alumni contribute about $21.2 billion 
>> annually to the state economy and about 265,000 jobs.
>> 
>> The senators were very impressed by all our contributions to the state. 
>> The exchange also gave me an opportunity to highlight the distinctive 
>> missions and exceptional performance of each of our campuses. This 
>> resonated positively with the senators. At the same time, they 
>> articulated, as they must, the State's profound long-term budget crisis. 
>> Their questions covered a wide range of subjects, from faculty and staff 
>> salaries to tuition waivers to academic programs and administrative 
>> operations. I aggressively defended our policies, particularly on 
>> salaries and graduate tuition waivers. I explained that, among other 
>> things, appropriate compensation adjustments are one of my highest 
>> priorities. Of course, they wanted to know what we're doing to help 
>> ourselves, and how we might replace lost positions and increase salaries, 
>> when there is no additional support for either in the governor's fiscal 
>> 2012 budget proposal. That gave me an opportunity to explain we are 
>> making progress on the Administrative Review & Restructuring (ARR) 
>> reforms.
>> 
>> I reported our efforts to streamline business functions across the 
>> University, with the expectation of building, over three years, annual 
>> savings of $60 million or more -- funds we must reallocate to manage any 
>> future cuts in state support, avoid furlough days, make compensation 
>> adjustments, and replenish some of the faculty and staff positions we 
>> have lost. I also had an opportunity to explain how the reforms 
>> implemented thus far have already saved over $5 million in the first half 
>> of the current fiscal year, and we expect another $5 million by July 1. 
>> 
>> These savings come at a minimum net cost to the University, as we've 
>> reconfigured four of five positions, rather than creating entirely new 
>> ones, to implement the reforms. We just announced the appointment of Dr. 
>> Larry Schook, as interim Vice President for Research. The VP-Research 
>> role takes on the portfolio of the former Vice President for Technology 
>> and Economic Development position, along with the added responsibility of 
>> advancing our research enterprise across the three campuses and in state 
>> and federal arenas. Also, we've expanded the portfolios of three existing 
>> and highly experienced administrators:  Steve Veazie, who'll add 
>> oversight of collective bargaining across our campuses to his 
>> responsibilities as Deputy University Counsel, is taking on the added 
>> title of Executive Director of Labor and Employee Relations; Maureen 
>> Parks, as Executive Director for Human Resources, will add to her 
>> responsibilities oversight across our campuses of HR services and 
>> processes involving civil service and academic professionals whose work 
>> doesn't entail a direct academic role; and Michael Hites, who'll work 
>> with campus chief information officers (CIOs) as the University's 
>> Executive CIO to enhance enterprise IT services and infrastructure 
>> delivered on all our campuses. Finally, we added just one new position, 
>> an Interim Vice President for Health Affairs, which will be supported by 
>> clinical revenues. We've appointed Dr. Joe "Skip" Garcia to this position 
>> and charged him with enhancing our clinical healthcare mission, which has 
>> the potential to realize substantial new revenues and savings, while 
>> improving education and research opportunities and enhancing service to 
>> the hundreds of thousands of patients we serve.
>> 
>> I've heard that some might not be aware of these changes or are confused 
>> about how they're being made. The new cost is nominal, because, as noted 
>> above, we've reconfigured existing positions, rather than adding new ones 
>> (except for the VP-Health Affairs). We expect these changes to drive the 
>> reforms that will produce the $60-plus million in savings that our 
>> estimates indicate we can achieve. Most important, these changes will 
>> improve the financial circumstances for each campus, enabling each to 
>> remain competitive and enhance its performance and its distinctive 
>> mission. Additionally, our effectiveness in these cost-savings efforts 
>> will inform the Board's tuition decision, under the policy it adopted at 
>> the January Board Meeting.
>> 
>> In the midst of the state's profound budget problems and our efforts to 
>> deal with the implications for our great University, I'm proud that so 
>> many of you are working collaboratively on these reforms, are focusing on 
>> the big picture, and are recognizing the opportunity for positive 
>> transformation, which improves services and saves precious resources. 
>> 
>> As I've been doing, I'll continue to keep you informed of our legislative 
>> work and our progress on ARR reforms. Since joining our great University 
>> last July, I've spent hundreds of hours on more than 60 meetings with 
>> campus senates and their leaders, student groups, deans, department 
>> chairs, collective bargaining unit leaders, academic professionals, and 
>> other constituencies comprising our shared governance system. Some may 
>> wish I could spend more time with them and I'll continue to do my best to 
>> visit with you. These consultations have been very beneficial and at the 
>> urging of faculty, staff, and students we've made many changes to 
>> proposals under consideration before I arrived and shortly thereafter. 
>> These include: taking the proposal to combine the campus chancellor and 
>> provost positions off the table; reversing the decision to combine the VP-
>> Academic Affairs with the VP-TED; keeping the provost title for vice 
>> chancellors of academic affairs; changing the VP-Research, TED title 
>> to "VP-Research;" and ensuring that the VP-Health Affairs description 
>> includes alignment of the clinical enterprise with our academic and 
>> research missions. All these adjustments arose from my consultations with 
>> so many of you. I'm grateful for your good advice and welcome it as we 
>> continue to move forward.
>> 
>> None of this would have been possible without your support and the help 
>> of chancellors, vice presidents, and others on the ARR Steering 
>> Committee. Also, I'm grateful for the participation of President Emeritus 
>> Stan Ikenberry, who launched the ARR efforts before I arrived and remains 
>> a close friend and advisor.
>> 
>> As my session Wednesday with the committee of the state Senate 
>> demonstrated, we have a great story to tell -- one that impresses our 
>> senators and the people of our state. I urge you all to keep telling it, 
>> as I will. Our story is one of sustained success and accomplishment, even 
>> in very challenging times. Leaders throughout the state and nation are 
>> looking to the University of Illinois to bring the exceptional talents of 
>> our faculty, staff, and students to bear on the pressing issues of our 
>> time. I couldn't be more proud of how we are rising to these challenges 
>> and of the tremendous progress we are making together.
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
>> Mike
>> President, University of Illinois
>> 
>> This mailing approved by:
>> The Office of the President
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 

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