Journalism Department Chair Les Hyder addressed the Faculty Senate Tuesday about the business of the Faculty Advisory Council of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Within the council, Hyder serves on two committees: one being the Budget Committee, which has equal numbers of representatives from four-year public institutions, community colleges and private universities, and the other being the Assessment Committee.

Hyder said the Budget Committee’s report asks the Board of Higher Education to work to retain faculty and staff, addresses the issue of Illinois’ status as the highest exporter of students to out-of-state institutions, balances monetary award program disbursements that favor private universities and prioritizes appropriations based on need.

Hyder chairs the Assessment Committee of the council, which is working to keep the state from applying state standards with tests and other methods to all Illinois institutions.

In addition, he said the council amended its bylaws and changed the name from Faculty Advisory Committee to Faculty Advisory Council, which “better articulates our role and status,” Hyder said.

In other business, John Pommier, associate recreation administration professor, announced how Technology Enhanced and Delivered Education Grants will be divided among various categories of proposals.

Professional development grants received $24,245 of their request of about $30,000. Technology enhanced courses got $65,087 of more than $135,000 requested.

Technology delivered courses were granted $61,444 of their more than $80,000 request and technology delivered programs got $40,000 of $63,070 requested.

Pommier said the discrepancies between requests and awards had more to do with how the grants were written than with the finite supply of available funds.

The senate touched on a resolution it and Student Senate passed in recent weeks addressing issues of exceptionality and commencement. The resolutions are now in the hands of the Council of Academic Affairs, Faculty Senate Chair Bud Fischer said.

The CAA meets at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Senate members discussed their upcoming Spring Forum, which is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 29. This year’s topic is scheduled to be faculty development.