 The University of
Illinois completed its monthslong search for a
president on Tuesday when officials announced that historian Michael
Hogan was set to become the university's 18th president.
Hogan, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, will resign as president of the
University of Connecticut on June 30 to move back to the Midwest.
"I'm delighted to be returning to the Midwest to lead the University
of Illinois, a top-tier institution and center of outstanding
research and scholarship," Hogan said in a statement. "I grew up in
the Midwest, earned my degrees here and started my family here. I couldn't be
more pleased to return to my roots as president of this world-class university."
Before becoming president at UConn, Hogan was a provost and
executive vice president at the University of Iowa. Before his
tenure at Iowa, Hogan spent 17 years progressing through the
administrative ranks at The Ohio State University.
Gov. Pat Quinn praised the selection of Hogan, one of 208 candidates
considered by a selection committee.
"The track record of President Hogan reflects a person of
demonstrated leadership who will work for the best interests of the
University and the Land of Lincoln," Quinn said in a statement.
The university's board of trustees is expected to confirm Hogan as
president during its meeting on May 20. Hogan is scheduled to
begin his new job on July 1 and will earn a base annual salary of
$620,000, according to university officials.
That figure could unsettle some at the university, especially since
predecessor B. Joseph White had a base salary of $450,000 and the
university has been hard-hit by the fiscal crisis afflicting the
entire state.
UI spokesman Tom Hardy said the market for top university
administrators determined the raise in salary.
"In order to attract and employ the most talented people, people
with the best expertise to lead complicated, high-performing
institutions like major public research universities, the market is
established by what's being paid at competitor, peer institutions,"
he said.
Hogan enters the UI system with the state in difficult economic
straits.
Because of a $13 billion budget deficit, state government cannot pay past bills
totaling $380 million owed to the university.
University administrators have made efforts to contain costs -- 600
faculty and staff members took buyouts last week, and the university
has instituted furloughs and a hiring freeze .
Also to be discussed during the May 20 meeting is a proposed tuition
hike of 9.5 percent for students admitted for this academic year.
State Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, hopes the new president won't
price out in-state or minority students.
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"I look forward to greater accessibility and a real partnership from
the president, especially with legislators like myself and other
legislators with racial or ethnic backgrounds," he said.
Hogan also may have to deal with the ethics fallout from predecessor
White.
White resigned along with then-Chancellor Richard Herman of the
Urbana-Champaign campus last year in part due to reports that
politicians and other individuals were influencing the university's
admissions process.
State Rep. Bill Black, D-Danville, whose district borders
Urbana-Champaign, thinks Hogan can bring some stability to the
University of Illinois.
"I think it's very important to install a new president who can hit
the ground running, someone who can work with the General Assembly
as he did in Connecticut, work with the faculty and the student
Senate and the staff and bring a clear direction of where he wants
to take the University of Illinois," he said.
Connecticut Democratic state Sen. Mary Ann Handley interacted with
Hogan while he was president at the University of Connecticut.
Handley, co-chair of the higher education committee for the
Connecticut Senate, said Hogan was willing to talk with lawmakers to
a degree.
"He did not see himself as a lobbyist for the university; whereas,
in the structure, the informal culture of the General Assembly, the
presidents are lobbyists for their constituents, universities and
colleges," she said.
Hogan and Handley negotiated a $362 million renovation of the UConn
Health Care Medical Center that Connecticut lawmakers finalized days
ago.
Handley advised Illinois lawmakers to communicate early and often
with the new UI president.
"Take the extra step and go and talk to him and meet with him, and
almost force him to stay in touch with you," she said, "so that you
become part of his decision-making process, not just a burden on his
decision-making process."
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By KEVIN LEE]
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