To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff
           <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "uipres@uillinois.edu" <uipres@uillinois.edu>

Reply-To: uipres@uillinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Budget Message from the President

March 3l, 2003

To: Members of the University Community

The news coming out of Springfield about the State of Illinois's fiscal 
situation is grim and impacts the entire university community.

In order to close the budget deficit for the current fiscal year and pass 
a balanced budget, as required by law, for fiscal year 2004, the governor 
and state lawmakers are considering a level of spending cuts that further 
reduces the state's appropriation for public universities.

The University of Illinois is committed to doing its part to help address 
the state's budgetary crisis, but it will be a difficult task.

Working through our Board of Trustees, we have taken steps to enhance the 
university's accountability and to identify ways to operate more 
efficiently. Working with leaders on each campus, we have responded 
conscientiously to the call for additional immediate savings with 
proposed cuts we think would do the least harm to the quality of our 
excellent academic programs.

However, our financial flexibility is nearly exhausted after back-to-back 
cuts in our appropriations for fiscal years 2002 and 2003. An additional 
loss of state support at the levels being discussed will imperil the 
quality of our academic offerings.
To stay abreast of this important issue, I invite you to go to 
www.uillinois.edu/president/ to review an account of a testimony I 
recently provided to the state Senate Appropriations Committee, a list of 
the university spending cuts under consideration for the current fiscal 
year, and other related information.

The legislature will deliberate budget priorities for the next two 
months, and I will continue to make our case in Springfield to keep the 
university strong. As the situation develops, the site will be updated.


James J. Stukel 
President 
uipres@uillinois.edu

This mailing approved by:
The Office of the President

-- 
This message sent via MASSMAIL.  < http://www.cites.illinois.edu/services/massmail/ >