University of Illinois trustees Wednesday rejected a proposed $400,000 bonus for outgoing Chancellor Phyllis Wise — who may now be dismissed from her administrative position — undermining a decision made last week by the new university president.
Trustees backpedaled on the deal amid widespread outrage from Gov. Bruce Rauner and other state lawmakers after Wise's resignation last week was immediately followed by the revelation that she had used her personal email account to hide sensitive and controversial issues from the public.
The board's three-person executive committee adjourned into closed session for almost two hours before publicly rejecting the bonus unanimously.
U. of I. President Timothy Killeen announced at the meeting that he was initiating dismissal proceedings against Wise. Killeen also appointed Barbara Wilson as acting chancellor.
During the dismissal proceedings, Wise will be reassigned as an adviser to the president on biomedical affairs, according to board documents obtained by the Tribune. She'll have a hearing before the board of trustees within 30 days and continue to receive her current salary of about $549,000 during that time.
After the meeting, Killeen said he hoped Wise would stay on as a faculty member. The dismissal proceedings apply only to Wise's administrative role. But with the resignation agreement gone, so too are Wise's bonus, sabbatical and other perks.
"I had hoped to handle Chancellor Wise's exit in the spirit in which the original contract was conferred," Killeen said after the board's decision. "But the board, with a lot of discussion and a lot of analysis, has mandated a different track, which I fully respect."
Wilson, 57, dean of the university's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will serve as acting chancellor for one year. Wilson will make an annual salary of $397,500 for her combined role as interim chancellor and dean.
Rauner and several other legislators had spoken out against the bonus, which might otherwise have been rubber-stamped. Giving public education officials a bonus when they leave office isn't unusual in Illinois. But the day after Wise's resignation announcement, university officials revealed that Wise had used her private email to circumvent state public records law.
Rauner, an ex officio member of the U. of I. board, is responsible for appointing trustees.
In January, Rauner reappointed Edward McMillan to a second six-year term. McMillan was subsequently named the new chairman by other board members. Rauner also appointed Jill Smart and Ramon Cepeda, two Chicago business executives who are not on the executive committee.
But the state Senate had not yet confirmed any of Rauner's three appointees, and it's unclear if Wednesday's vote will affect those confirmations.
"The Senate has been following what has been happening at the University of Illinois, and those issues will be among those that could come into play in ultimately deciding whether to confirm any appointment," said John Patterson, a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, on Tuesday.
The executive committee — McMillan and trustees James Montgomery and Karen Hasara — voted on a revised employment agreement, including the bonus, which was negotiated last week by attorneys for the university and Wise.
As part of the resignation agreement, Killeen had agreed to provide Wise with a lump-sum payment of $400,000, pending board approval, though the university was not contractually obligated to provide it. Wise's original employment offer, signed in 2011, said she would receive a $500,000 retention bonus after "the full five years" in the job, or a prorated portion if she left the position sooner "at the election of the Board of Trustees."
The governor's office expressed its "deep reservations" about the payment to Wise in a letter to McMillan on Tuesday, noting that the university "is facing many challenges and needs to begin charting a new path."
Wilson takes over effective Wednesday in the role as acting chancellor. She would not be a candidate to fill the chancellor position permanently.
An experienced administrator, Wilson worked in the university's provost office from 2009 until 2014, when she became dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which is the largest college on campus with 11,000 students and a $232 million annual budget, according to the university news release.
Wilson is also a professor of communication whose research has focused on the social and psychological effects of media, the release said. Before joining U. of I. in 2000, Wilson taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara for 12 years.
"I am honored to be asked to serve in this role," Wilson said in a news release. "As interim chancellor, my focus will be on stability and continuity in the transition to a new permanent chancellor so our faculty, students and staff may concentrate on their work and the fulfillment of our missions."
U. of I. rejects bonus for Chancellor Wise, starts dismissal proceeding - Chicago Tribune
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