SR0683 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0683 LRB096 21430 NHT 37814 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State's nine public universities are operated, managed, controlled, and maintained by their respective individual boards of trustees; and

WHEREAS, Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations to the public universities totaled nearly $6 billion; and

WHEREAS, On June 30, 2008, the public universities had over $2 billion in outstanding bonds and notes payable and certificates of participation, and additional debt has been issued subsequent to that date; and

WHEREAS, State payments to the public universities are backlogged, with over $475 million owed to the University of Illinois alone; and

WHEREAS, According to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the number of employees at the University of Illinois has grown by 12% between 1999 and 2008 (from 26,331 to 29,403), while the number of State employees (not including universities) dropped by 20% during that same time frame (from 87,719 to 70,144); and

WHEREAS, According to the College Illinois! website, average annual weighted tuition and fees at this State's public universities was $10,442 for freshman level students entering college in the fall of 2009, an increase of 10.5% over the 2008-2009 academic year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Auditor General is directed to conduct a management audit of the State's nine public universities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the audit include, but not be limited to, the following determinations for the most recent completed academic year for which information is available:

(1) the total cost of operating each campus, the average number of credit hours offered to students, the average cost per credit hour, the number of students enrolled, and the number of degrees conferred;

(2) the total amount of revenue received by each public university and the sources of that revenue;

(3) comparison of the administrative structure at each public university and costs related to upper level administration at each campus;

(4) the number of academic personnel at each campus, the average credit hour workload of professors and instructors at each campus, the range of salaries and the average salary of professors and instructors at each campus, and the number of professors and instructors on sabbatical at each campus and the associated costs; and

(5) the amount of tuition received by each campus and how much of that tuition was provided in the form of financial aid provided by or through this State and how much of that financial aid provided by or through this State is subject to repayment by the students receiving that aid; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the State's public universities, the Board of Higher Education, and any other entity having information relevant to this audit cooperate fully and promptly with the Office of the Auditor General in the conduct of this audit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Auditor General and the Board of Higher Education.