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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The University of Illinois was chartered in 1867
3 as a public, land-grant institution to develop the State's
4 capacities in agriculture and industry, and the university has
5 grown to become one of the country's premier public higher
6 education institutions for public service and for teaching and
7 research across academic disciplines; and
 
8     WHEREAS, A primary goal of public universities is to
9 provide broad public access to affordable, high-quality,
10 post-secondary education and training; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has appropriated $712.9
12 million in fiscal year 2007 to the University of Illinois in
13 the form of appropriations, grants, reimbursements, and other
14 State support, and these public funds are generated by taxes
15 paid by individuals who live and work in the State; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The University of Illinois, as the State's
17 flagship university, is the only public Illinois institution of
18 higher learning ranked as "more selective" by U.S. News & World
19 Report, meaning that acceptance to the university generally
20 requires strong performance on standardized tests and an
21 impressive class ranking, but that these factors alone cannot
22 secure admission; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Illinois has for decades been a net exporter of
24 college students, and students who attend colleges and
25 universities out-of-state are less likely to live in Illinois
26 after graduation and to contribute to Illinois's economy
27 through increased tax revenues and participation in an educated
28 workforce; and
 
29     WHEREAS, University of Illinois officials have recently
30 announced a new strategic plan that includes decreasing total

 

 

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1 enrollment while increasing the percentage of incoming
2 freshmen who are out-of-state residents, thereby further
3 decreasing the number of qualified in-state students who may
4 enroll at the State's already-competitive flagship university;
5 therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
8 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created a Joint Task
9 Force on Resident Student Enrollment for the purpose of
10 reviewing the University of Illinois's proposed change in
11 enrollment policies and determining the benefits or drawbacks
12 to the State of enacting these new policies; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That the task force shall consider the economic
14 and social benefits that the State of Illinois could stand to
15 reap by retaining Illinois residents as higher education
16 students or by importing out-of-state students to our
17 universities and colleges, as well as examine whether adequate
18 alternatives exist for in-state students who will now face
19 increased competition for spots in the University of Illinois's
20 freshman class; and be it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
22 the House, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority
23 Leader of the House shall each appoint no more than four
24 members of the General Assembly to serve on the Joint Task
25 Force on Resident Student Enrollment, which members shall serve
26 on a voluntary basis and must not be responsible for any costs
27 associated with their participation in the task force; and be
28 it further
 
29     RESOLVED, That the task force shall meet as necessary and
30 shall report its findings to the General Assembly by filing
31 copies of its report with the Secretary of the Senate and the
32 Clerk of the House no later than March 15, 2007; and that upon

 

 

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1 filing its report the task force is dissolved; and be it
2 further
 
3     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
4 delivered to the President and the Board of Trustees of the
5 University of Illinois and to the Board of Higher Education.