University and Technology Company Partnerships (University of Illinois)

Mr. Nash,
We have received your request. As you may know, the University has three campuses—Chicago, Springfield and Urbana. Is your request directed toward a specific campus? Please let me know so that we may search for the requested documents in the correct department. When we have this clarifying information we will begin processing your request.
Thanks,
Kathy McCarthy

Kathleen McCarthy
Assistant Director, FOIA Administration
Office for University Relations
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, Springfield
312-996-3773 mccarthk@uillinois.edu<mailto:mccarthk@uillinois.edu>

January 14, 2015

Tom Nash
MuckRock News
requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Re: FOIA 15-010

Dear Mr. Nash:
I am responding to your request dated January 7, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act in which you request:
"- Partnership agreements or memorandums of understanding between the university and the following companies issued between 2005 and the time this request is processed.
- Any subsequent reports issued related to those agreements or partnerships between 2005 and the time this request is processed.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Apple Inc.
ARM Holdings
AT&T
Exxon Mobil
Facebook
Ford Motor Company
General Electric
Google
The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Microsoft
Nvidia Corporation
Texas Instruments
Samsung
Qualcomm"

I am writing to invoke an extension of the deadline for responding to the request under the following section(s) of the Act, which allow for additional time when:

* 140/3(e)(i) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;
* 140/3(e)(iii) the request is couched in categorical terms and requires an extensive search for the records responsive to it;
* 140/3(e)(iv) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them.

I am taking the additional five days allowed by law to review information. The revised deadline will now be January 22.
Sincerely,

Jaclyn Banister
FOIA Coordinator

On behalf of

Thomas P. Hardy
Executive Director, University Relations

January 22, 2015

Tom Nash
MuckRock News
requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Re: FOIA 15-010

Dear Mr. Nash:
I am responding to your request dated January 7, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act in which you request:

"- Partnership agreements or memorandums of understanding between the university and the following companies issued between 2005 and the time this request is processed.
- Any subsequent reports issued related to those agreements or partnerships between 2005 and the time this request is processed.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Apple Inc.
ARM Holdings
AT&T
Exxon Mobil
Facebook
Ford Motor Company
General Electric
Google
The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Microsoft
Nvidia Corporation
Texas Instruments
Samsung
Qualcomm"

Our office has conducted a preliminary search for the documents.

Your request for documents and information listed in your email is considered unduly burdensome to the University. Hundreds of contracts between the University and the companies specified in your request were located. To comply with your request, these contracts would have to be gathered and manually sorted through to establish if they are a partnership agreement or memorandum of understanding. Once identified, the documents would then have to be reviewed to determine if any part thereof was exempt from production. Given the short time frame provided under FOIA to identify, collect and review the responsive records and the limited staff currently available to perform such tasks, compliance with your request would unduly burden the University and its operations.

Pursuant to Section 3(g) of the Act, we would like to extend to you an opportunity to modify your request to make it of more manageable proportions. Specifically, we request you narrow the date range of your request and limit your request to fewer companies. Our office would suggest that you narrow the list to five companies and shorten the time frame to the last few years. These changes will help narrow your request to more manageable proportions. If you do not reduce the request, it shall be treated as a denial.

You have a right, under the law, to seek a review of this response by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) in the Office of the Attorney General. The PAC may be reached by phone at 217-782-1396, by email to publicaccess@atg.state.il.us, or by postal mail at the Public Access Bureau, 500 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706. You also have the right to seek judicial review under section 11 of this Act.
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss how to narrow the scope of your request, please contact me at 217-333-6400.

Sincerely,

Thomas P. Hardy
Executive Director
and Chief Records Officer

February 2, 2015

Mr. Tom Nash
MuckRock News
requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Re: FOIA Request 15-010

Dear Mr. Nash:

I write to respond to your Freedom of Information narrowed request dated January 24, 2015, and received in my office on January 27, 2015, in which you requested:

"...any agreements between the University and Google, NVIDIA, AMD and ARM issued between 2013 and the time this request is processed."

I am writing to invoke an extension of the deadline for responding to the request under the following section(s) of the Act, which allow for additional time when:

140/3(e)(v) the requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions;

140/3(e)(vii) there is a need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or among two or more components of a public body having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request

I am taking the additional five days allowed by law to review information. The revised deadline will now be February 9, 2015.

Sincerely,

Jill Weathers
FOIA Coordinator

On behalf of

Thomas P. Hardy
Executive Director, University Relations

February 9, 2015

Mr. Tom Nash
MuckRock News
requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Re: FOIA Request 15-010

Dear Mr. Nash:

I write to respond to your Freedom of Information request dated and received in my office on January 7, 2015, in which you requested:

"...the following records:

-Partnership agreements or memorandums of understanding between the university and the following companies issued between 2005 and the time this request is processed.
-Any subsequent reports issued related to those agreements or partnerships between 2005 and the time this request is processed.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Apple Inc.
ARM Holdings
...
Samsung
Qualcomm"

You narrowed your request on January 24, 2015, which was received in my office on January 27, 2015 and reduced the companies to:

"...Google, NVIDIA, AMD and ARM issued between 2013 and the time this request is processed."

A search was conducted and no partnership agreements or memoranda of understanding responsive to your request could be located. If you are seeking other agreements, please resubmit your request, specifying the type of agreement and the name of the company about which you are seeking information.

You have a right, under the law, to seek a review of this response by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) in the Office of the Attorney General. The PAC may be reached by phone at 217-782-1396, by email to publicaccess@atg.state.il.us, or by postal mail at the Public Access Bureau, 500 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706. You also have the right to seek judicial review under section 11 of this Act.

If you have questions for our office, please contact 217-333-6400.

Sincerely,

Thomas P. Hardy
Executive Director
and Chief Records Officer