The U. of I. chapter of the American Association of University Professors will host an open meeting with former Gov. Jim Edgar from 3 to 4:30 p.m. May 10 in the General Lounge of the Illini Union Room 210.
Edgar is a distinguished fellow at the U. of I. Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Prior to this appointment, he was a two-term Illinois governor from 1991-99, an office he left with the highest approval rating in Illinois history. Among his many accomplishments, he will be remembered for balancing the state budget, creating a surplus and his interests in child welfare and education. He also served in the Illinois House and was secretary of state in Springfield.
He majored in history at Eastern Illinois University, where he earned a B.S. in 1968. Among his academic accomplishments is his tenure as a resident fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Last October, four months into the state budget impasse, he strongly advised the current governor to compromise with the Legislature.