In one of his first moves as president of the University of Illinois, Timothy Killeen plans to announce Wednesday that he will transfer funds from central administration to financial aid and other student programs.
The move, expected to be announced during a speech at the City Club of Chicago, comes as Killeen has positioned himself as a student-focused president. It also comes amid proposed state cuts to higher education funding and as lawmakers have criticized Illinois’ public colleges and universities for substantially increasing administration during the past decade.
Killeen said he will reallocate $8.2 million, or 12.6 percent of the president’s discretionary account, to the three campuses, which have been asked to submit proposals for using the recurring funds.
For U. of I., which has a $5.6 billion operating budget, the move also is symbolic. Killeen’s decision supports his stated commitments to improve the student experience and direct money away from administrative costs. On the day his selection as president was announced in November, Killeen said he would dedicate his presidency to the students.
“It is a first step of probably several that will be along the same lines,” Killeen said. “My hope is to send a beneficial signal to the university that we are committing to really looking hard at our processes and our cost models to most efficiently support our top priorities. Since day one, I have been talking about students as being that.”
During his speech Wednesday, Killeen also plans to discuss the economic importance that U. of I. has on the state, continuing a pitch he has made since he took over in mid-May. Last week, he arranged for all of the state’s public university presidents to jointly meet with lawmakers in Springfield to lobby against the proposed cuts.
Under Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed 31.5 percent cut to higher education funding, U. of I. would see a $209 million reduction in funds that support its campuses in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana-Champaign. Democrats have instead proposed a 6.5 percent cut.
The $8.2 million in discretionary funds has been used in the past for campus renovations, technology upgrades and other initiatives. Killeen said he hopes the campuses will use the money for financial aid, minority student recruitment, counseling and other student programs.
“We are expecting great ideas and innovative ideas about how these resources can be used,” Killeen said.
While he will lose control over some of his budget, he said he wanted to send a message.
“This is also a leadership statement that we expect leadership throughout the university to participate in this exercise,” he said.
The funds were identified during an ongoing review to examine possible cost-cutting in the central administration, he said.
Killeen, 63, is the university’s 20th president. A researcher in geophysics and space science, he was previously vice chancellor for research at the State University of New York and president of its $900 million research portfolio.
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