The path of a controversial university streamlining process took a new twist Tuesday.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), meeting at the College of Lake County, failed to hear program elimination recommendations from its staff members.

IBHE Chairman Arthur Quern decided to switch the format of the meeting to allow all governing boards time to speak on behalf of the individual universities and their streamlining efforts.

The change was part of the IBHE’s continuing Priorities, Quality and Productivity (PQP) initiative. PQP seeks to streamline state public universities by eliminating and consolidating programs it deems unproductive.

The IBHE staff was scheduled originally to present its recommendations to cut about 190 programs from the 12 state public universities.

However, Quern said because of time constraints, the board would delay hearing the IBHE staff recommendations until a proposed Nov. 23 public hearing in Chicago. The hearing would take place the day before the IBHE is slated to vote on the recommended program cuts.

Quern allotted 20 minutes each for the four governing systems—the Board of Governors, the Board of Regents, the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University—to address the board on the productivity reports the universities submitted by Oct. 1.

Board of Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves spoke on behalf of the Regency schools, but unlike the other chancellors, also allowed the three individual presidents time to speak as well.

Groves said he supported the idea of PQP but rejected part of the justification for it. Groves said the rationalization that “we can’t be all things to all people” is “totally unjustified” if it implies the universities have been wasting state funds.

Groves said state public funding for higher education has been “modest and even miserly.”

At the end of his speech, Groves’ voice uncharacteristically rose in what appeared to be frustration.

“I can look over 20 years of running the IBHE gauntlet for program approval,” he said. “Anyone who thinks it has been easy to drag program approvals from the likes of (IBHE Executive Director) Dick Wagner … is hopelessly naive.”

Groves ended his speech by saying, “We are not now, nor have we ever been all things to all people. Rather, we struggle to sustain enough programming to be credible in the eyes of those we serve. That must be borne in mind as we look at future programming restrictions.”

NIU President John La Tourette also addressed the IBHE. La Tourette said NIU reallocation could surpass the IBHE-required 6 to 9 percent reallocation quota, perhaps reaching levels as high as 21 percent.

He said $5 million has been identified already by NIU and an additional $5 million could be forthcoming.

La Tourette did not directly protest the controversial IBHE recommendation to eliminate NIU’s College of Law, but was sporting a button which stated, “Keep the Doors Open—NIU College of Law.”

“We don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we have quality programs that students in Northern Illinois need and want and are important for their long-term development,” he said. “These programs include the College of Law and a number of other programs that are vital not only to the university, but to the people we serve.”

In addition, the NIU College of Law alumni association was not given floor time at the IBHE meeting due to Quern’s time constraints. Association president Ed Underhill said his group will speak at the next meeting.