The American Legislative Exchange Council recently named NIU Regency Professor of Public Administration William Monat as an adviser to a state legislative task force.

Monat serves as academic adviser to ALEC’s task force on legislative procedures and administrative rules.

Monat’s force deals with issues such as legislator compensation, fiscal, environmental and regulatory impact legislation, reapportionment and ethics.

Task Force Director Kymberly Messersmith, an NIU graduate, served as a student regent, a non-voting member of the Board of Regents.

ALEC is the nation’s largest individual membership organization of state legislators.

More than 800 legislators, corporate leaders, government officials and media representatives attended its recent annual meeting, held in Cour d’Alene, Idaho.

ALEC works on a bipartisan task force system. Each task force works concurrently with an adjunct private sector coordinating council, made up of prominent industry leaders who share a commitment to a limited government and a free market approach to public policy.

The coordinating councils are responsible for the development of model legislation for the council’s biennial “Source Book of American State Legislation.”

The councils also are reponsible for the selection of public policy objectives to be included in ALEC’s biennial “New Agenda for State Public Policy.”

This direct legislative involvement is not new to Monat. During 1968-69, he served as director of budget and finance for the speaker and majority leader on the staff of the Pennsylvania state legislature.

As the first Regents chancellor, Monat’s duties included governing NIU, Illinois State University in Normal and Sangamon State University in Springfield.

e also was responsible for making recommendations to the Regents, which consists of 9 members appointed by the governor, and advising on matters of concern.

Prior to his chancellorship in 1984, Monat served six years as NIU president.

During his presidency, Monat presided over NIU expansion efforts that included the acquisition of the College of Law and the creation of a new College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.