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THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

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Vol. 144 Issue 63

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Decision to not rehire Salaita final

Turning the page

BY ABIGALE SVOBODA STAFF WRITER

After the release of a report made by the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, stating that Steven Salaita’s appointment should be reconsidered, the Board of Trustees echoed its firm stance that he will not teach at the University. In August, Salaita’s employment was rescinded, causing major uproar within the University as well as across the country, and sparking conversations on academic freedom. The committee began an investigation, and the results, supporting a reconsideration, were released Dec. 23. The committee was comprised of seven University faculty members from different colleges. David O’Brien, chair of the Art History program, currently chairs the committee. The report stated that Chancellor Phyllis Wise raised legitimate questions about Salaita’s “professional fitness.” The report concluded Salaita’s candidacy should be reconsidered by a committee of academic experts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Less than two weeks later, five past chairs and vice chairs of the Senate Executive Committee wrote a letter in response to the report. While members agreed with some points, they ultimately argued that the decision not to employ Salaita should stand. The next Thursday, the Board of Trustees issued a press release informing the

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0RUH LQVLGH For our opinion on the final decision regarding the Steven Salaita controversy, turn to 3DJH $

public that the University will not hire Salaita. “On Sept. 11, 2014, consistent with the recommendations of the Urbana chancellor and the president, and after careful consideration and discussion, the board voted 8-1 not to approve that appointment,” the press release said. “That decision is final.” The press release went on to say that despite media reports about the committee’s recommendation, Salaita’s employment will not be reconsidered and reiterated that the decision was made independently by the board after much deliberation. In the meantime, the Association of American University Professors is preparing its own report on Salaita’s case. Jordan Kurland, Associate General Secretary for the Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Governance of the AAUP, said a draft of the report will be sent to concerned parties on Friday. Concerned parties include University officials, such as Wise and board members, along with Salaita and his legal counsel. The concerned parties are asked to respond with corrections and comments by Feb. 2. The AAUP will then final-

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OLIVIER DOULIERY TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

President Barack Obama delivers the State of The Union address on Tuesday, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. For full coverage of the address, turn to Page 3A.

Grant funds research program Mellon awards grant to Program for Research in the Humanities BY ELYSSA KAUFMAN STAFF WRITER

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities was awarded a $2,050,000 grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund new fellowship programs in the areas of bio-humanities, environmental humanities and legal humanities. “The grant will help us create really exciting research groups to develop all kinds of scholarly activities in the three areas listed in the grant,” said Illinois Program for Research in

Humanities Director Dianne Harris. “It will also involve undergraduates who will be able to do research working together with graduate students and post-doctorates. This, all together, will create undergraduate certificate programs in those areas of humanities.” Harris said the first research group will launch in 2016 and will work for two years until the next group launches in 2018. The program was invited by the Mellon Foundation to apply for the grant and worked close-

ly with the program officer. The program has previously received several grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, including a post-doctorate fellowship grant. Janelle Weatherford, director of Foundation Relations, assists faculty and administrators with their approach to the Mellon Foundation in support of humanities and art-related initiatives. Weatherford said the Mellon Foundation is one of the country’s largest private supporters of arts and humanities at higher education institutions. They also support performing arts organizations and art

A look at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Q Supports

universities, colleges and research institutions to fund programs in the humanities Q Founded in 1969 Q Since 2010, the foundation has given out 2,493 grants and awarded $1.18 billion Q Awarded 14,000 grants to 68 countries SOURCE: ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION

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Illinois student delegates attend ABTS conference

Research Park awarded NSF funding

Student senators exchange ideas during annual event

BY JANE LEE

BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS STAFF WRITER

The University sent eight representatives from the Illinois Student Senate to collaborate with other Big Ten schools at this year’s winter conference for the Association of Big Ten Students, ABTS. Student delegates discussed campus and student government related issues at the event, held at Northwestern University from Friday until Sunday. The association’s mission is to create a network for student government leaders to share ideas with-

in the conference and to “serve as the active collective voice of students” of the Big Ten Conference. They seek to achieve this goal through bi-annual conferences, an annual conference geared toward federal lobbying in Washington D.C. and year-round communication among the 14 schools regarding the improvement of student government operations and general campus concerns. Matt Hill, vice president-external, was one of eight representatives delegated to attend the conference from ISS. He said he believes ABTS is gaining influence, and that its conferences put the universities in a position to commu-

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STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY MACCRACKEN

Senator Dick Durbin, one of the keynote speakers at ABTS Winter Conference, speaks.

Two alumni-founded companies recently received funding to develop the digital, entertainment and medical fields. The National Science Foundation awarded two Research Park-based companies, BioAnalytics and Lumenous, from its Small Business Innovation Research funding. There are two phases to the program’s funding. According to the National Science Foundation, Phase I consists of a “short proofof–concept/feasibility grant,” which is around $150,000 to $225,000. Companies must reapply for Phase II, which is a “longer developing grant” of $750,000. “That funding is a really great source of funding for

small businesses because the federal government makes those awards and does not take any equity ownership in the company,” said Laura Frerichs, director of Research Park. “It is in essence, a grant or a contract to the company, which is a really nice source of money in the early stages to help de-risk the technology development.” The Small Business Innovation Research funding comes from 14 agencies, the largest funders being the Department of Defense, the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, Frerichs said. In total, she added, the agencies set aside 3 percent of the program’s extramural research budget to award to

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