Commission on Urban Area Government, 1967-1974

INTRODUCTION The James M. Banovetz papers were donated to the University Archives on December 5, 1997 by Dr. Banovetz, upon his retirement.  Literary rights to all materials not under copyright are dedicated to the public.  There are no restrictions on access to the collection. SCOPE AND CONTENT The materials in this collection document some of the interests and activities of James M. Banovetz, primarily during the 1970’s and 1980’s.  The collection is organized into two series: NIU Activities (1969-1986), and Consulting Work (1967-1991).  Of particular interest in the second series is material relating to the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, including reports on the convention done in 1986; material relating to the study considering consolidating the units of government in the Quad Cities area of Illinois, 1986-1988, including transparencies for a program Banovetz presented; and material relating to the Financial Advisory Board overseeing the fiscal crisis in East St. Louis, Illinois from 1988 to 1991.  There are no records in this collection relating to the Political Science Department or the Division of Public Administration at NIU. The first two folders in the collection contain materials written by and about Dr. Banovetz, including newspaper clippings. For additional information on Professor Banovetz’s career at Northern Illinois University researchers should also consult the following collections: Faculty Records, and the records of the Political Science Department found in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences collection. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH James M. Banovetz was born January 24, 1937 in Forsyth, Montana, and raised in Duluth, Minnesota.  He received his B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in Duluth in 1959, and both his Masters Degree (1961) and his Ph.D. (1963) from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  In 1962, while working on his Ph.D., he began his teaching career as an Instructor in the Political Science Department.  Upon graduation in 1963 Banovetz came to NIU as an Assistant Professor, and also served as Director of the Graduate Program in PublicAdministration from 1964-1966.  He spent the next three years at Loyola University in Chicago as Associate Professor, and also was the Director of the Center for Research in Urban Government from 1966-1968.  Banovetz returned to Northern in 1969 where he continued to teach until his retirement in December 1997.  During his tenure at NIU he served as chairman of the Department of Political Science from 1972-1979, Director of the Division of Public Administration from 1979-1997, and also was Director of the Center for Governmental Studies from 1969-1972, and 1979-1980.  Banovetz was faculty chair of the Academic Planning Committee (1969-1972); and sat on a number of committees including one to consider the establishment of an educational program in police science (1969-1971), and one to develop a masters level program in legal studies (1972-1976). In addition to his teaching career, Banovetz has been quite active in the real world of public administration.  These activities include: his work on the Governor’s Commission on Urban Area Government (1967-1973); work with the Governor’s Constitutional Convention Study Committee (1969-1970) and the 1978-1979 referendum on another constitutional convention; membership on the Community Service & Continuing Education Council (1969-1973); his work to study the consolidation of the Illinois units of government in the Quad Cities area (1986-1988); and his membership on the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Board, appointed by the governor to respond to the bankruptcy of that city (1988-1991). Banovetz is a member of many professional organizations including the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the American Society for Public Administration, International City Management Association, the Illinois Association for Graduate Programs in Public Administration (which he founded), and the Phi Alpha Alpha National Honorary Society.  He has written or edited several books including: Governing Illinois (1991), Managing Local Government: Cases in Decision Making (1998,1990), and Small Cities and Counties: A Guide to Managing Services (1993, 1984).  Banovetz has also written numerous articles, monographs, chapters in books, and special reports. Dr. Banovetz taught at Northern Illinois University for a total of thirty years before retiring in December 1997.  He and his wife Audrey are the parents of five children: Lisa, Kathy A., James M. Jr., Mark T., and Steven J., and have fourteen grandchildren.