UI Board of Trustees Chair Not Interested in Running for Office

The chair of the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees, Christopher Kennedy, said he does not have any plans to run for political office.

Kennedy is a son of the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. During a visit Monday to the Urbana campus, Kennedy talked about the importance of using Illinois' connections at the federal level to lobby for more research grants. When asked about his desire to run for office, he said he doesn't envision a future in politics

"I'd say the University is political enough for me," he said. "I have no aspirations beyond the university."

Kennedy currently runs Merchandise Mart Properties in Chicago. He was one of six trustees appointed in September 2009 by Governor Pat Quinn following a university admissions scandal.

The Board of Trustees is slated to meet Wednesday, March 23 in Springfield. The Board bumped up tuition last year by 9.5%, a figure that didn't sit well for some students and parents. While the agenda for that meeting has not been set, Kennedy shed some light on how the board may act if it is confronted with another tuition hike.

"I'd say the board has made it clear that we have no intention of raising tuition beyond inflation," Kennedy said. "Tuition at the University of Illinois will remain constant in real dollars, and we just have to figure out what the inflation rate is."

The board of trustees adopted a policy earlier this year linking tuition increases to other factors, including inflation. The state currently owes the U of I nearly $440 million in unpaid bills.

Kennedy said the university should better position itself to seek out federal research grants that will help retain jobs within the state, and improve Illinois' economy.