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ISU Trustees Approve State Budget Requests, Dietz Bonus Pay Amount

ISU's board meets
Mary Cullen
/
WGLT
The Illinois State University Board of Trustees holds its fall meeting Oct. 19, 2018.

The Illinois State University Board of Trustees on Friday approved fiscal year 2020’s annual budget request to the state, including a 10 percent increase in operations.

The increase was recommended by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The board agreed the increase is fair, given the state’s lack of funding in recent years. 

"It's time we said, you know, enough's enough. The (funding) formula isn't working."

Board Chair Rocky Donahue agreed, but said it feels like ISU is “being punished for doing a good job.”

“If you look at our enrollment over the last decade, I believe only the University of Illinois system has achieved better enrollment than Illinois State,” Donahue said. “We came out of the whole state budget debacle of not having a budget for two years strong and stable. It’s time we said, you know, enough’s enough. The (funding) formula isn’t working.”

He said it’s time Illinois legislators changed the higher ed funding formula.

The approved operating request, including the 10 percent increase, is $72.9 million. The university’s capital appropriation request, which includes funds for the Milner Library renovation, totals $338 million.

Dietz Bonus Pay

ISU President Larry Dietz will receive $48,000 in bonus pay for 2018.

Donahue said due to a historic change in Dietz’s contract last year, the president’s bonus is no longer a flat dollar amount. He said Dietz’s bonus, or the “at risk amount” of his annual pay, is performance based.

“I would argue the president, how we set up his pay structure, is he has to actually produce to get paid,” Donahue said. “Nobody else, that I’m aware of, on the university is saying, ‘Well we’re going to give you 78, 80 percent of your pay up front, and the other 20 percent is going to be based on whether you do a good job or not.’”

The Board approved the bonus in an 8 to 1 vote, with Trustee Bob Dobski saying Dietz should have been approved the full $50,000 allotted via the president’s contract.

Dietz’s 2018 performance review by the board found he “exceeded expectations” on a majority of his annual goals. The report showed few areas Dietz could improve, including preparing advancement plans for senior-level employees and developing a succession plan for the president’s direct reports.

Other matters approved by the board:

  • The University’s academic plan for 2018-2023.
  • The use of $6.8 million in bonds to replace lower bowl seating areas in Redbird Arena.
  • A $600,000 project to replace the floor in Horton Field House, paid for through facility reserve funds.
  • A Nike sports apparel and equipment vendor contract with BSN Sports.
  • The development of a confocal microscopy facility and purchase of a confocal microscope, funded by a $661,326 grant from the National Science Foundation.

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