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SENATE 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 more than
12 $700 million to the University of Illinois system for fiscal
13 year 2007; the system regularly receives in excess of $80
14 million annually in State grants and contracts, and these
15 public funds are generated by taxes paid by individuals who
16 live and work in the State; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The University of Illinois, as the State's
18 flagship university, is the only public Illinois institution of
19 higher learning ranked as "more selective" by U.S. News & World
20 Report, meaning that acceptance to the university generally
21 requires strong performance on standardized tests and an
22 impressive class ranking, but that these factors alone cannot
23 secure admission; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Illinois has for decades been a net exporter of
25 college students, and students who attend colleges and
26 universities out-of-state are less likely to live in Illinois
27 after graduation and to contribute to Illinois's economy
28 through increased tax revenues and participation in an educated
29 workforce; and
 
30     WHEREAS, University of Illinois officials have recently

 

 

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

 

 

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1 Clerk of the House no later than March 15, 2007; and that upon
2 filing its report the task force is dissolved; and be it
3 further
 
4     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5 delivered to the President and the Board of Trustees of the
6 University of Illinois and to the Board of Higher Education.