“APAC THEREFORE plays a crucial role in the
THIS YEAR’S
ESTABLISHED IN 1988, the
November 28, 2011
CAPE Awards Presented; APAC Chair Gets Award of Merit
No Action on Pension Bill So Far
By Christy Levy
UIC News
THE
SENATE BILL 512 advanced during the General Assembly’s spring session but never reached a vote. It was revived in the fall veto session with an accompanying amendment.
THE BILL, sponsored by Rep. Tom Cross (R-Plainfield), would set three tiers of pension benefits and costs for current employees who pay into the State Universities Retirement System.
OPTIONS INCLUDE:
- Pay significantly more to maintain the current level of benefits;
- Pay less and receive reduced benefits;
- Set up a self-managed plan.
A $110,000 cap on salary earnings used to calculate pensions and an increase in retirement age to 67 would apply to employees hired after Jan. 1, 2011.
“WE CONTINUE to press for a solution to the state’s pension funding concerns that doesn’t unjustly place the entire burden on the backs of our hardworking employees,” President Michael Hogan wrote in a Nov. 1 email to the campus community.
“I ENCOURAGE you to contact your legislators using your own personal email and resources to assert the importance of a fair solution and the problematic aspects of SB 512.”
IF PASSED the bill, which would not affect those already retired, would become effective July 1, 2013.
QUESTIONS HAVE been raised about the legality of changes to retirement benefits for current state employees due to a clause in the Illinois Constitution reads: “Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State ... shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”
FOR MORE information on the proposed legislation, visit:
Cutting Pensions Would Lead to U. of I. Brain Drain
By Michael J. Hogan
University of Illinois President
IT’S EASY to understand the Law of Unintended Consequences, the unanticipated and sometimes perverse effects of actions--sometimes government actions--that were ostensibly intended to provide a public good.
EXAMPLES OF this principle abound, but one that is often noted these days has to do with Senate Bill 512, now under discussion in Springfield, to fund the State's pension obligations to public employees. Leaders in
THE LIKELY effect of Senate Bill 512 in its current form will be a brain drain from these public universities and their surrounding communities.
THE UNIVERSITY of
MAKE NO mistake about it, these outstanding and civic-minded employees have choices in a competitive market place not bound by geography. Those who leave may take their externally funded research projects worth millions of dollars with them and take their pension, too. Replacing these employees with comparable talent will be difficult so long as other universities are offering better benefits.
SUCH AN exodus would devastate our ability to meet the U of I's teaching, research, public service, and health care missions, and would slam the brakes on what has consistently been a vibrant economic engine for this great State.
AMONG THE top teaching and research universities in the world, the U of I and its three campuses directly and indirectly generates more than 150,000 jobs and more than $13 billion in economic impact for
BUT THE proposed pension funding legislation will make it difficult to do that, and to recruit other highly professional faculty and staff. It will damage the public university system in
AS WE contemplate the State's strategic advantages, how does it help in the long term to reduce funding for higher education, including two public Tier One research campuses, and provide substantially less compensation to its talented workforce?
WE KNOW that a solution to the pension problem is urgently needed, and we are willing to contribute our fair share to an equitable solution. But it needs to be based on the principles of equity and shared sacrifice, to which we can all contribute without doing great damage to the educational institutions central to the well being of our students and to the State's place in a knowledge-based economy.
I URGE legislators to consider the interests of our employees, the impact of their departure, and the threat that weakened public universities pose to the future of the State. The potential consequences are far too great to ignore.
(THIS ARTICLE originally appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday, Oct. 30. Reprinted with permission of the Office of the University President.)
IGPA Analyzes State Economy for University Senate
By William S. Bike
DAVID MERRIMAN, Associate Director and Professor, Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, spoke on “Illinois’ Economic and Fiscal Challenges and Responsibilities” to the University Senate recently.
MERRIMAN EXPLAINED that the University’s Board of Trustees requests such analyses from the IGPA.
HE NOTED that
MERRIMAN SHOWED an Unemployment Rate graph, in which
ANOTHER CHART showed total State expenditures from 1997 to 2012, which revealed that the share to higher education has dropped from about seven percent to about four percent.
MERRIMAN CONCLUDED that the State asking for a recission (return of funds from the University) was not out of the question.
APAC Meetings Scheduled; All Invited
ALL APs are invited to the monthly APAC meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 14, in Room 5175 of the College of Medicine Research Building, 909 S. Wolcott. Every other month, a meeting is scheduled in Room 2750 of University Hall on the East Campus. Also scheduled are meetings Jan. 11 in Room 2750 UH, Feb. 8 in Room 5175 CMRB, March 14 in Room 2750 UH, April 11 in Room 5175 CMRB, May 9 in Room 2750 UH, June 13 in Room 5175 CMRB, July 11 in Room 2750 UH, Aug. 8 in Room 5175 CMRB, Sept 12 in Room 2750 UH, Oct. 10 in Room 5175 CMRB, and Nov. 14 in Room 2750 UH. For information, call (312) 996-0306.
Join UIC United (SUAA)
UIC UNITED, the UIC Chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA), has announced a new dues program for UIC employees: Sign up for dues deduction from paychecks at $2.75/month, a discount of $0.25/month. Follow the link in the first sentence for an online application. First, check the button next to Current Employee (after Employment Status). Then scroll down to the drop-down menu after College/University and display
Zipcars Available on Campus
GET 24/7 access to a Zipcar, a car-sharing service with autos parked at several locations around campus, across the city, and around the world. After joining Zipcar, you can reserve a car online, let yourself in with a Zipcard, and drive. Hourly and daily rates include gas and insurance, with no maintenance or car payment charges. Campus locations are
Car Pool Help Offered
UIC HAS partnered with iCarpool, an online ride-matching service, to bring employees a new transportation program that helps find ride sharing opportunities.
BY CARPOOLING instead of driving alone, participants can save 50% or more on travel and vehicle expenses, improve outdoor air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,000 lbs. per year.
TO REGISTER, visit http://bit.ly/UICiCarpool and setup a profile using your @uic.edu or @illinois.edu address. Note that this is not directly linked with your netid. For additional details, visit http://commuter.uic.edu/icarpool orhttp://sustainability.uic.edu/icarpool.
EMPLOYEES ARE encouraged to take advantage of the iCarpool program by registering as a participant; check back frequently to find carpool matches as site membership increases.!
FOR INFORMATION contact icarpool@uic.edu or (312) 413-7440; the UIC Office of Sustainability, sustainability@uic.edu, (312) 413-9816; or the
The Continuing Crisis
Editor’s Note: “The Continuing Crisis” is a section of APAC News which links to news pertinent to the state budget crisis and other financial matters as they affect the University and Academic Professionals. These news outlets are not affiliated with or endorsed by APAC.
PUBLIC SAYS use taxes and cuts to solve State budget crisis. See KFVS-TV Channel 12, http://www.kfvs12.com/story/15787794/illinois-voters-favor-some-cuts-some-taxes-to-fix-broken-budget.
Vol. 4, No. 10 November 2011
Webmaster: Jeff Alcantar