The University Senate announced the search committee members that will advise the University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen in selecting the next chancellor in a Massmail sent out on Dec. 20. The decision comes over a month after current University Chancellor Robert Jones announced he would be stepping down from the position at the end of this academic year.
The committee will contain eight faculty members, three University students, two academic professionals, one civil service member and one dean or director, according to the University Senate. The 15 committee members will directly advise Killeen throughout the spring semester in the search.
“From my understanding, (the committee) is going to take a very active approach in advising the president,” said Alex Belanger, sophomore in LAS and the sole undergraduate student nominated to be a part of the committee.
Among the other nominees are faculty members Nerissa Brown, Felecia Commodore, Taher Saif, Cynthia Oliver, Gilberto Rosas and Rummana Alam. Jennifer Bernhard and Antoinette Burton will also serve as faculty advisers. However, Killeen will select one to serve as the chair of the committee.
Besides Belanger, the two students on the committee are Megan Mahoney and McKenzy Heavlin, both graduate students. Belanger is uncertain what direction the committee will take the search in, but he said he plans to prioritize two issues throughout the search process.
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“The most important thing right now — with what we are seeing on campus — is making an environment where all students, regardless of their background, can feel safe and comfortable,” Belanger said. “I know that’s something we faced as an issue in the past couple of years, and I want to make sure the next chancellor is dedicated to making sure (the University) sees that through.”
Belanger also plans to focus on finding a chancellor who is dedicated to addressing mental health issues.
“I know a lot of students have issues with the counseling department, and a lot of that goes back to funding, but I do want to see a chancellor that recognizes that as an issue and will take the necessary steps to address it,” Belanger said.
The other four nominees are academic professionals Charlotte Davidson and Kristin McMurray, civil service member Kathy Adams and Dean of the College of Education Chrystalla Mouza. These members were nominated in early December and approved by the University Senate during a voting process that occurred between Dec. 18 to 20.
Ahead of the search process, Belanger said the pool of candidates for the position will be very qualified.
“For a university like Illinois, that is one of the good things we have,” Belanger said. “So, it’s going to be looking at what are their priorities, what is their experience and what are they going to do with their vision in the future.”
