Governance
State Authority over the University
The University of Illinois, as a public university, is under the ultimate authority of the Illinois General Assembly. Subject to constitutional and self-imposed restraints, the General Assembly exercises control by virtue of its authority to change the laws pertaining to the University and its power to appropriate funds for the maintenance and improvement of the University. Under existing state law, the University of Illinois is a public corporation, "The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois." The University has three campuses: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where the University was established in 1867; the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); and the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS).
The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is the statewide governance body for higher education and is empowered to:
- analyze the budget requests of the state institutions of higher learning and recommend to the governor, General Assembly, and appropriate state budget agencies the amounts deemed proper;
- approve all new units of instruction, research, and public service undertaken by the state institutions and their governing boards;
- formulate and update a master plan of higher education to be submitted to the governor and the General Assembly and make any necessary surveys of higher education;
- advise and counsel the governor upon request on matters pertaining to higher education; and
- make recommendations to the General Assembly for the enactment of necessary legislation.
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