APAC Meets with President, Chancellor

APAC MET with President Timothy Killeen and Chancellor Michael Amiridis

on Sept. 12 to hear their thoughts about progress and the future at UIC.

APAC MET with President Timothy Killeen and Chancellor Michael Amiridis on Sept. 12 to hear their thoughts about progress and the future at UIC.

KILLEEN THANKED APAC for inviting him and “for everything you do.” He joked that “Pollyanna” is his middle name because he is such an optimist.

HE NOTED that one reason he is so optimistic is because the University weathered the crisis of having no State budget, saying UIC did it “without layoffs or furloughs. We’ve come out strong. We now have a budget, and our funding went up.”

ENROLLMENT GAINS across the U of I system also make him optimistic, he said—particularly at UIC, which is known for being “affordable and accessible.” He noted that UIC’s Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education rankings put UIC at #7 on the Best Values list. “UIC has kept tuition down,” Killeen said, also noting that both its financial aid and diversity are growing.

THE U OF I system also had its best year ever in philanthropy. “That is money that goes into financial aid and scholarships, and also into buildings and infrastructure,” Killeen said.

UIC IS constructing a new academic and residential building and a new engineering building, Killeen noted, saying that the new construction “is symbolic of progress. We are investing in facilities and have a five-year capital plan.”

THE “GOOD news goes on and on,” Killeen said. “The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted former President Barack Obama, and three busloads of UIC students came down. It was an historic speech picked up internationally.”

ALTOGETHER, “THERE are very few universities who can say all this,” Killeen said. He thanked staff “for all of your efforts. It’s all built on people.”

CHANCELLOR AMIRIDIS then spoke, and noted that he wanted to emphasize one word, “momentum.” Amiridis noted that, “we have a strong and steady upward momentum. Our enrollment surpassed 31,600, an increase of four percent and the fourth year of record enrollments. The freshman class is up again, as well. These are great numbers. Students and families vote with their feet, and they are voting for UIC.”

ELABORATING ON Killeen’s discussion of new buildings at UIC, Amiridis noted that, “both buildings are on time and on budget. The last academic building constructed on the east side of campus at UIC was in 1991, and these new buildings add to our momentum. We hope to be breaking ground on three-to-four major projects in the next year as well.”

HE ALSO noted that in the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education rankings UIC came in at #29 among more than 400 U.S. public universities.

“WE ALSO have a new law school,” Amiridis said, discussing John Marshall Law School joining with UIC. “With the addition of our 16th college, UIC brings the first public law school to Chicago and we are proud to have made this happen.”

HOWEVER, UIC “is not out of the woods yet,” Amiridis said. “We need to improve our infrastructure. In Information Technology alone, we have skipped two generations. He said, “human infrastructure is a challenge, as well—we need to continue to meet the needs of our students by making sure we have the proper level of staffing.”

AN EXAMINATION of the Discovery Partners Institute followed, with Dr. William H. Sanders, Interim Director of the DPI, leading the discussion. For more information, see related article, this issue.

DURING THE question and answer period, Tracy Sikorski, APAC Chair, asked Killeen how he and the administration are “protecting the role of the public university.”

KILLEEN RESPONDED that the University of Illinois system now endeavors to drive a legislative agenda. “We went from nowhere in statewide advocacy to strong advocacy that has been forged in the last few years,” he said. “The best defense is a good offense.”

LAURA CLOWER, Killeen’s Chief of Staff, added that the UI system is now involved “in retail politics. The President and our lobbyists talk to legislators. We’re out front and center, informing them that the UI system is not a cost center—we’re a profit center for the State.”

“OUR ECONOMIC impact on the state is $17 billion,” Killeen added. “One in every 46 jobs in this state is affiliated with the University of Illinois—and 300,000 voters are alumni.”

KILLEEN NOTED that with years of no budgets and budget cuts the mood in the UI system has been somber, but the system is on the rise.

“SO INSTEAD of talking down about U of I, talk it up!” he advised in conclusion.