The Illinois Board of Higher Education had its wrists slapped by the state legislature Tuesday.

The Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution telling the Illinois Board of Higher Education to stay within its legislated authority.

The resolution sent a message to the IBHE that it does not have the power to eliminate programs and only can make recommendations concerning program cuts.

The chief sponsor of the resolution in the Senate was State Sen. Stanley Weaver, R-Champaign-Urbana.

“The resolution was to remind them of their statutory responsibility,” Weaver said.

He said the IBHE only can review programs and make recommendations to the respective university governing boards. He described the IBHE as “over-stepping its bounds” in trying to force universities to implement IBHE recommendations.

The IBHE has been engaged in a process to streamline higher edcuation by recommending the elimination or consolidation of outdated or unproductive programs.

The process, Priorities, Quality and Productivity (PQP) has resulted in about 190 recommendations for program deletions, including unpopular recommendations like the one to eliminate NIU’s College of Law.

At its Nov. 24 meeting, IBHE chairman Arthur Quern said universities were expected to implement PQP recommendations, or “substitutions of comparable scope.” Quern indicated that budget recommendations for fiscal year 1994 would be based on the reinvestment potential of the PQP recommendations.

Quern also announced he intended to ask the state legislature for program cutting power. After the meeting, Quern said that if an impasse occurred over a program recommendation, the program elimination power might be used.

IBHE Deputy Director Ross Hodel said any legislation concerning Quern’s request for program cutting power likely would come from the Governor’s Task Force on Higher Education, of which Quern also is chairman.

The task force is expected to submit a report to the governor by Jan 27. However, Hodel said the governor will have to consider the resolution before developing any legislation based on the impending report.

With the passage of the resolution, Hodel said it is not likely legislation incorporating Quern’s request would be passed

“The process to eliminate waste, duplication and outdated programs has been viewed positively, until it’s in someone’s backyard,” Hodel said.