CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will consider Thursday a contract extension for Athletic Director Josh Whitman through 2023-24, including increased compensation for the latter years initially encompassed by his first contract.
The proposed extension was reviewed Wednesday by the board’s Governance, Personnel, and Ethics Committee.
“Under Josh’s leadership we have seen our athletic programs move steadily forward and upward. Our student-athletes are competitive on the field, court and track while finding success and support in the classroom. Our facilities continue to improve. And we have seen a growing list of fundraising milestones,” said Chancellor Robert J. Jones. “We want to ensure that this momentum continues for years to come.”
Hired in March 2016 on a five-year contract with a base salary of $600,000, Whitman currently earns $668,561 in base salary as result of annual reviews. The board in 2016 also approved annual supplemental compensation of up to $200,000.
The new agreement would take effect Nov. 15 with an annual salary of $750,000. The base salary would increase $25,000 annually on July 1 in the years 2020-23, and the annual supplemental compensation would be capped at $250,000, also to take effect on those dates.
Whitman previously served as the director of athletics at Washington University in St. Louis. A four-year starting tight end and two-time Academic All-American for the Illinois football team, Whitman spent parts of four seasons in the NFL. He graduated from Illinois in finance with Bronze Tablet honors and earned summa cum laude honors in completing a law degree at Illinois.
Before joining Washington University, Whitman was the director of athletics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He previously practiced law with a firm in Washington, D.C., and he served as a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Editor’s note: For additional information, contact Chris Harris, senior director of strategic communications, Office of Public Affairs, call 217-333-5010, email csharris@illinois.edu.
