Trustees Choose Ikenberry as U of I Interim President
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees Saturday voted to name Stanley Ikenberry the interim president. He'll succeed B. Joseph White, who announced last week he would step down in the wake of the university admissions scandal.
Ikenberry was the U of I's youngest president when he started his 16 year stint in the position in 1979. He later served as president of the American Council on Education, before returning to the U of I as Regent Professor. Now 74, Ikenberry says he's ready to lead the university through what he calls a brief but important transition period.
"I had a love affair with the University of Illinois that started 30 years ago and hasn't abated since that time", says Ikenberry. "I've said all along that if I could help and the university needed my help, I would be happy and actually honored."
Until his term begins January 1st, Ikenberry will be the U of I's interim president-designate --- working alongside President White and other administrators to make an orderly transition.
Ikenberry had been considered as a possible interim president as far back as September 23rd, the day White announced his resignation. But university board chairman Chris Kennedy says they actually considered 30 or 40 possible candidates, and Ikenberry "stood head and shoulders above the rest".
Kennedy had little to say about the future of Richard Herman, except to say that that Urbana Chancellor was a "great leader" and the board needed to discuss his future in executive session. Like White, Herman was criticized by the governor's Admissions Review Commission for his role in the admissions scandal.
Also Saturday, trustees formally approved White's resignation and approved his new position as professor of business administration on the Urbana campus. Trustees also approved a structure for a search committee to find a permanent U of I president to take office in time for the fall semester. They selected the executive search firm of Isaacson Miller to help in the process.