The Problem

Illinois state government recently has taken some important steps toward greater transparency. However, the common activities of Illinois institutions are still often difficult for taxpayers to observe. By posting basic financial and operational information on a single webpage, universities can give the public greater insight into how they operate—particularly how they are performing and how they are allocating taxpayer dollars. In doing so, they can set an example for all of state government.

The Solution

A recent report co-published by the Illinois Policy Institute and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni develops the following fourteen-point checklist of key indicators that state public university boards should report to their stakeholders, the most important of whom are taxpayers, parents, and students. Some of the information below is information that all governments should make available, such as financial transaction records. Other items are unique to the missions of universities, but no less vital for the public to know.

1. Meeting notices and minutes.
2. Trustee contact information.
3. Regular financial reports.
4. Administrative Staff Salaries.
5. Student data, including admissions statistics, demographics, retention/graduation rates.
6.  The core curriculum, and which courses are actually required.
7. The grade distribution at the institution overall, and by department or program.
8. How well candidates for professional licensure do on their licensure exams.
9. Level of student aid awarded, over various periods of time.
10. Changes in tuition and fees over the past five years.
11. Expenditures on athletics compared to instruction.
12. Accreditation reports.
13. Newly opened/closed and ongoing academic programs.
14. Institutional performance standards that govern program approval and funding.

Why This Works

Trustees are fiduciaries. A board of trustees is responsible for both the fiscal well-being of the institution it governs and the quality of the education it provides. At the heart of fiduciary responsibility is transparency—and in the case of public colleges and universities, this is all the more appropriate and necessary, since taxpayers fund these institutions and have a right to know whether those funds are used effectively and responsibly.

Public universities are highly visible functionaries of state government. In their own communities and throughout Illinois, the state’s universities are often better known to families and taxpayers than most social service agencies, local governments or state constitutional offices. Given that fact, university trustees have a unique opportunity to advance principles of good government for the entire state.