Members of the union representing non-tenure-track faculty at the University of Illinois went on strike Tuesday morning, launching a two-day work stoppage.  In a mass e-mail, administrators questioned the goals of the strike, saying tentative agreements have been reached in 14 areas, including several "key items."  But Union President Shawn Gilmore called those areas "small."

The University of Illinois says seven former women’s basketball players who claimed in a lawsuit over an alleged “racially hostile environment” will share a $375,000 settlement. Meanwhile, a $250,000 negotiated settlement has been announced for former football coach Tim Beckman, who was fired by the university last year over the handling of athletes’ injuries.

U of I President Timothy Killeen and Interim Urbana Chancellor Barbara Wilson told an appropriations committee that some high-profile faculty are looking to leave the university due to the budget stalemate.  "I really fear for the brain drain right now," Wilson said.  Meanwhile, Killeen says the U of I won't be able to cover the full cost of students' MAP grants should the impasse continue this fall.

After more than 100 days without an athletic director, the University of Illinois has officially named Josh Whitman to the post.  The U of I graduate earned law and finance degrees at the school, and played for a few years in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.

At least one study of University of Illinois students of color shows that more than half say they've felt stereotyped in a classroom because of their race. We sat down with Urbana campus Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson to discuss what the U of I is doing to create a better experience for students of color.