PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 25, No. 9, Nov. 3, 2005

Herman calls for input on Assembly Hall renovations

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
217-244-1072; slforres@uiuc.edu

Chancellor Richard H. Herman said that he is seeking input from students and the Assembly Hall Advisory Committee on proposed plans for renovating Assembly Hall and possibly transferring administrative responsibility for it to the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Herman, who spoke at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Urbana-Champaign Senate, said he was responding to recent newspaper articles on the subject. On Oct. 21, The Daily Illini reported that the Illinois Student Senate had issued an executive order that “strongly opposed” removing Assembly Hall from the purview of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, citing student concerns that DIA would be less responsive to student interests even though student fees account for a large portion of the Assembly Hall’s operating budget. Herman said that students are concerned about preserving the balance of programming at Assembly Hall and do not want it to become solely a sports venue.

A review committee commissioned by former Chancellor Nancy Cantor had recommended in a November 2003 study that operational control of Assembly Hall be transferred from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to DIA to ensure DIA’s involvement in raising funds for renovations at Assembly Hall. More than $60 million in renovations – plans that included expanding the lobby and installing air conditioning – were proposed in a 2002 study sponsored by Assembly Hall and DIA.

Transferring control of Assembly Hall to DIA would make good economic sense because DIA has greater access to resources that would help fund the renovations, Herman said, and it is important to keep the building in good shape because it “is embedded in the history of the campus.”

Assembly Hall, which opened in 1963, needs updated amenities to make it more user friendly, more competitive in booking events and to keep it in compliance with safety codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Refurbishments such as adding air conditioning also would extend the building’s usable life throughout the summer months, Herman said.

To achieve a brilliant future reflective of its distinguished past, the UI needs aspirational, tough-minded plans and resources. That was the message UI President B. Joseph White conveyed when he updated the senate on the strategic planning process and the economic challenges the university faces, especially dwindling state support, which “is forcing some hard choices on us,” White said.

“We cannot cost-reduce and try to fundraise our way into a brilliant future,” White said, and advised senators that “reduction and redeployment of resources will be ongoing.”

White also fielded questions from senators on a range of topics, including the restructuring process that is under way in the College of Engineering, White’s personal views on tenure, and pressure on faculty members to garner external funding for research.

Herman told senators that templates and ideas for the strategic planning process were sent to deans, directors and department heads recently. Herman sent a draft plan for the campus to White on Oct. 31, and White will present the aggregate plan to the UI Board of Trustees in January, although the details will be developed over the spring semester.

Other business

• The senate passed a proposal to amend and expand the course numbering system to include 700-799 numbers to accommodate growing curricular demands in professional programs such as law, medicine and veterinary medicine.
  
• The senate passed proposals to establish a jazz performance major within the bachelor of music degree program and to revise and update the curriculum in painting within the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The senate also approved a proposal to revise the interdisciplinary minor in African American studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to include several new courses in theory, methodology and disciplinary content.
  
• The senate approved a slate of nominations to fill several faculty vacancies and undergraduate student and graduate student vacancies on the Campus Budget Oversight Committee. A selection committee consisting of the chair and vice chair of the Senate Executive Committee and the provost will select committee members from the list of nominees.
  
• The senate deferred discussion and nominations for honorary degrees to its next meeting, which will be Dec. 5.

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