Reis: Measure to Elect U of I Trustees Needed

August 6, 2009

Olney, IL.…To restore independence, confidence and integrity back to the University of Illinois (U of I) Board of Trustees, State Representative David Reis (R – Ste. Marie) will once again seek to pass legislation that will allow the people of Illinois to choose the trustees members through the election process rather than having them appointed by the Governor.

“It past time to return to a system that selects trustees who will have the best interests of the university and students in mind, not the administration that appoints them or heavy handed legislators who control their funding allocations,” Rep. Reis said.

Under the Reis’ initiative, the U of I Board of Trustees will reduce its membership to 11 trustees with seven being elected, three students elected from each campus, with one student sanctioned to cast a vote, and the Governor. Currently, the Governor appoints nine of the 13 trustees and designates which of the three student trustees have the legal authority to vote.

“For three years we’ve pushed for this piece of legislation,” Rep. Reis said, adding, “it’s long overdue. This bill will rebuild our faith in the university’s board, and ultimately, restore prestige to our state’s flagship university.”

Sparked by a Chicago Tribune investigative expose, federal prosecutors are now reviewing the extent former Governor Rod Blagojevich and his political allies pressured University of Illinois trustees for preferential admissions for family and friends. The board’s chairman, Niranjan S. Shah, and trustee, Lawrence C. Eppley, have recently resigned in wake of the academic scandal.

House Bill 54 now awaits action in the House of Representative during the fall veto session. Reis passed the measure out of the House Higher Education Committee earlier in the year.