SJ0092 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0092 LRB094 20569 NHT 58881 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The University of Illinois was chartered in 1867 as a public, land-grant institution to develop the State's capacities in agriculture and industry, and the university has grown to become one of the country's premier public higher education institutions for public service and for teaching and research across academic disciplines; and

WHEREAS, A primary goal of public universities is to provide broad public access to affordable, high-quality, post-secondary education and training; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has appropriated more than $700 million to the University of Illinois system for fiscal year 2007; the system regularly receives in excess of $80 million annually in State grants and contracts, and these public funds are generated by taxes paid by individuals who live and work in the State; and

WHEREAS, The University of Illinois, as the State's flagship university, is the only public Illinois institution of higher learning ranked as "more selective" by U.S. News & World Report, meaning that acceptance to the university generally requires strong performance on standardized tests and an impressive class ranking, but that these factors alone cannot secure admission; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has for decades been a net exporter of college students, and students who attend colleges and universities out-of-state are less likely to live in Illinois after graduation and to contribute to Illinois's economy through increased tax revenues and participation in an educated workforce; and

WHEREAS, University of Illinois officials have recently announced a new strategic plan that includes decreasing total enrollment while increasing the percentage of incoming freshmen who are out-of-state residents, thereby further decreasing the number of qualified in-state students who may enroll at the State's already-competitive flagship university; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created a Joint Task Force on Resident Student Enrollment for the purpose of reviewing the University of Illinois's proposed change in enrollment policies and determining the benefits or drawbacks to the State of enacting these new policies; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force shall consider the economic and social benefits that the State of Illinois could stand to reap by retaining Illinois residents as higher education students or by importing out-of-state students to our universities and colleges, as well as examine whether adequate alternatives exist for in-state students who will now face increased competition for spots in the University of Illinois's freshman class; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House shall each appoint no more than four members of the General Assembly to serve on the Joint Task Force on Resident Student Enrollment, which members shall serve on a voluntary basis and must not be responsible for any costs associated with their participation in the task force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force shall meet as necessary and shall report its findings to the General Assembly by filing copies of its report with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House no later than March 15, 2007; and that upon filing its report the task force is dissolved; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and to the Board of Higher Education.