Chancellor announces possible Assembly Hall renovations

Chancellor Richard Herman discussed the progress of ongoing renovations to athletic facilities - and possible future renovations to Assembly Hall -- on Monday afternoon at the Urbana-Champaign Senate meeting.

Herman updated the senate on the Memorial Stadium construction, which he said is running smoothly and should be done before the next football season.

"It's looking less and less like a war zone," Herman said of the site.

Herman went on to inform the senate about possible plans to remodel or rebuild Assembly Hall. It is unclear whether the project will involve renovation or the possible construction of a new facility, and Herman would not comment further on the status of the plans.

Head of the Senate Executive Committee Nicholas Burbules informed the senate about plans to implement academic professionals, individuals who specialize in certain fields or areas of expertise, as part of the senate. These include associate deans and associate chancellors.

The senate also discussed a proposal by the chancellor to allow untenured professors and personnel to be signed to multi-year contracts. This would allow the University to recruit new, young talented faculty for several years and keep them here until they are eligible for tenure.

The senate accepted the document on the condition that further deliberation on the material would take place. Some senate members had concerns about the ability to dismiss employees before their contract expired.

The Senate Executive Committee and Herman will continue to discuss the issues with the document, and any amendments will be brought back to the senate for approval.