The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday appointed Janet. L. Gooch as the next chancellor of the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS).
Gooch, who is the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Truman State University, will succeed interim Chancellor Karen M. Whitney. Gooch’s appointment is effective July 1.
Trustees, who met virtually, also appointed University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Provost Javier Reyes as interim chancellor while a search is conducted to replace Chancellor Michael Amiridis, Amiridis will step down June 30 to become president of the University of South Carolina. Reyes’ appointment is effective July 1.
University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said he is looking forward to working with both Chancellor Gooch and interim Chancellor Reyes.
“Janet Gooch has a long history of forward-thinking leadership and strategic vision, qualities that will serve UIS well when she takes the helm this summer,” Killeen said. “Similarly, Javier Reyes brings the experience of a long career in higher education, as well as a history of close collaboration with Chancellor Amiridis, to this new role at UIC.”
Gooch has been executive vice president and provost at Truman since 2017 and has been an administrator and member of the faculty at the university in Kirksville, Mo., since 1995.
Previously, Gooch was dean of Truman’s School of Health Sciences and Education and, prior to that, department chair of Communication Disorders. She is a professor in that department, as well.
Reyes joined UIC in August 2021 after serving as West Virginia University’s Milan Puskar Dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics and vice president for Startup West Virginia. He has a PhD in economics from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México.
Whitney has been interim chancellor since July 2020 and followed Chancellor Susan Koch.
Amiridis has been chancellor at UIC since 2015.
Continuing budget resolution
The board also approved a provisional budget for fiscal year 2023 that authorizes expenditures after the current fiscal year ends June 30.
The resolution, a routine measure, authorizes expenditures based on funding levels for the current fiscal year. The budget for fiscal 2022 was $7.18 billion. Trustees will consider the full U of I System budget for fiscal 2023 later this year.
Contract extensions
Trustees extended the contract for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Director of Athletics Josh Whitman by four years, through June 30, 2028, and increased his compensation. The changes are effective on May 20.
Whitman’s annual base salary is currently $800,000. Under the extended contract, Whitman’s base pay will increase to $975,000, with annual increases of $50,000 through 2027-28.
Whitman joined UIUC in 2016 after serving as director of athletics at Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated from Urbana-Champaign with both a bachelor’s degree in finance and a law degree.
The board also extended the contract of UIUC men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood by one year, through April 30, 2028, and increased his compensation.
Underwood’s current total compensation is $3.8 million a year. Under the extended contract, that will increase to $4.1 million.
Other appointments
Trustees also made several key appointments on Thursday.
Nicola A. Boothe-Perry was appointed dean of the UIC School of Law, effective June 16. Boothe-Perry is currently a visiting professor at the School of Law at Boston University and a professor at the College of Law at Florida A&M University. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor from Florida State University.
Sandra J. Wayne was appointed interim dean of the College of Business Administration at UIC, effective July 1. She succeeds Dean Michael Mikhail, who will return to the faculty. Wayne is a professor of managerial studies and associate dean for Faculty Affairs. She has a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from Illinois State University and a PhD from Texas A&M University.
Shauna Lee Green was appointed head women’s basketball coach at UIUC. Green, who has been head coach at the University of Dayton, will receive a six-year contract that is effective May 20. Green has a Bachelor of Arts from Canisius College.
Ashleen Bracey was appointed head women’s basketball coach at UIC, effective immediately. Bracey, who has been an assistant coach at the University of Missouri, received a five-year contract. Bracey has a Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University.
