Springfield – The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the $2.4 billion Fiscal Year 2006 Budget on Tuesday at the University of Illinois at Springfield Public Affairs Center.

As stated in the IBHE FY06 Higher Education Budget Recommendations for Operations, Grants and Capital Improvements, excluding the State Universities Retirement System (SURS), “recommended general funds support for institutional operations and grants totals $2.12 billion, which is $19.4 million more than FY05, or 0.9 percent.” About $141,251.30 of the budget will fund NIU Capital Projects.

NIU President John Peters said the budget is not as much as NIU needs, but it still is an increase, which he said he hopes will signal better things to come.

“I’m very pleased about the budget,” Peters said. “My only concern is that this budget does not provide money for these institutions that have severe enrollment pressures, like NIU. Last year, we had to turn away 1500 fully-qualified students that were denied a quality NIU education.”

Peters said this was due to funding.

The IBHE funds for this year were actually moved from last year’s budget, which NIU did not receive last year, Peters said.

Of the many Capital Projects being proposed for NIU’s fiscal spending, the Stevens Building renovation and addition, which will cost about $18,926.70, is one project that will benefit from the budget. Since the building will be renovated, the project could take a few years to complete with much of the renovation being heating, ventilating and cooling, Peters said.

Faculty and staff salary increases might also be funded by the increased budget.

“We’re only one-third of the way through the process,” Peters said. As far as how many people this would affect if there was a salary increase, that has to be determined down the road because right now, we’re just at a request number.”

Dan Layzell, IBHE deputy director for planning and budget, said Gov. Blagojevich and the General Assembly will deliberate the IBHE’s budget recommendations on Feb. 16.

Gary Alexander, IBHE deputy director for academic affairs, also spoke on the Textbook Rental Study, which “provides a summary of the information received from Illinois universities concerning the feasibility and desirability of instituting textbook rental programs.”

“The consensus of this report is that the cost to start [textbook rental] today is simply prohibited,” Alexander said.

The study, initiated by the governor’s office, would depend on individual institutions and their access feasibility, Alexander said. Publishers’ input would have to be considered before books currently purchased could be considered for renting.

Mark Weber, IBHE student board member and a University of Illinois political science undergraduate student, said the issue does represent a significant cost. Weber said he will follow up with the IBHE Student Advisory Committee to try to make sure the issue stays on the agenda.

The next IBHE meeting will be at 9 a.m. on April 5 in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. It is an open meeting.