UI Trustees Chair Says President Needs to Regain Faculty Trust

The University of Illinois' Board of Trustees met with embattled university President Michael Hogan on Monday for more than three hours.

The meeting came a week after 130 faculty members signed a letter, urging Hogan to resign. Faculty say they have lost confidence in his ability to lead the U of I, and Board of Trustees Chairman Chris Kennedy said that needs to change.

"I'd say the issues around re-building that support are issues that Mike Hogan needs to play a leadership role in," Kennedy said. "That is not something that the board can do for him, but we're confident that Mike can do it for himself. Time will tell and we'll review it closely over the next few months."

Earlier this year, Hogan's former chief of staff, Lisa Troyer, resigned amid an investigation into emails sent to the Faculty Senates Conference concerning Hogan's enrollment policy. Troyer has denied sending the messages, and an investigation cleared Hogan of any wrongdoing.

Faculty members allege that Hogan pressured Urbana Chancellor Phyllis Wise to quell faculty opposition to the enrollment plan. Kennedy said it is critical for faculty to have mutual respect for each other.

"We needed our people to change or we needed change in our people," Kennedy said. "We are as trustees committed to the notion of shared governance of a collaborative atmosphere, and we want all the faculty to understand that they have an important role in the leadership of the university, and we're convinced that over the next month or two that we'll see specific evidence of the president's leadership along those lines."

The Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet on the Urbana campus on March 15. Meanwhile, President Hogan is scheduled to release a revised version of his enrollment management plan later this month.

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)