The appointment of Barbara J. Wilson as acting chancellor capped off a week of rapid-fire news concerning U. of I. leadership.
On Aug. 6, Wise announced she would resign due to “external issues ... that have distracted us from the important tasks at hand. I have concluded that these issues are diverting much needed energy and attention from our goals.”
President TImothy L. Killeen accepted the resignation and thanked her for her service to the university.
“I wish her well in her future endeavors,” he said. “Chancellor Wise’s energy and commitment to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have never flagged. Her vision and advocacy for a new college of medicine represents a major contribution and provides for a lasting legacy.”
The next day, Killeen announced that an ongoing internal investigation had found the chancellor failed to disclose university-related emails she was keeping on a personal email account that should have been included in an Illinois Freedom of Information Act request.
The university’s position on FOIA and emails is that employees may use personal email accounts to conduct university business and communicate on university-related issues, but those emails must be produced if requested under FOIA.
Killeen said Wise, under a negotiated settlement, would be paid a retention incentive for four years served and retain a tenured faculty appointment. She also was to receive a paid, one-year sabbatical.
But the agreement was voted down at the Aug. 12 Executive Committee meeting, with board chair Edward L. McMillan, and trustees Karen Hasara and James D. Montgomery voting not to accept Wise’s resignation. Killeen then reassigned Wise to serve as a special adviser to the president, and the board chair initiated a formal dismissal proceeding.
Wise subsequently submitted a new resignation letter to Killeen and McMillan on Aug. 13, announcing her intention to resign the administrative chancellor post and return to the faculty immediately. Her intentions were acknowledged and the employment action was lifted, McMillan informed her.
Killeen said it was neither his nor the board’s intention to disparage Wise, but he remained adamant that transparency and accountability would be pillars of his administration.
McMillan said the practice of giving administrative retention incentive payments, like the $400,000 initially offered to Wise, would immediately stop. Killeen asked the board on Aug. 12 to remove from his own contract a similar $225,000 retention payment.
“There’s been a shift from retention incentives toward performance incentives,” Killeen said. “The best retention incentive is the privilege of working at the University of Illinois.”
Killeen said other initiatives could still be proposed to ensure administrator accountability.
“I think the whole culture is going to change,” he said. “We’re getting through some tricky things, but we’re getting through. We’re getting this ship right.”
The president remained optimistic in forward-looking comments delivered to campus.
“We must, of course, learn from the lessons of our past,” he said. “Our recent challenges also serve as an opportunity – a chance to re-examine our policies and processes, and rededicate ourselves to the guiding principles of integrity, transparency, service and excellence that built this great university. It is a time to move forward.”