List of presidents of the University of Illinois System

President of the University of Illinois System
Incumbent Timothy L. Killeen since May 18, 2015 [1]
Appointer	Board of Trustees
Term length	No term limit
Inaugural holder	John Milton Gregory
Formation	March 12, 1867 (158 years ago) (1867-03-12)
Salary	US$916,769.88 as of August 2024 [update] [2]
Website	www.uillinois.edu/president/

The president of the University of Illinois System, a system of public universities in Illinois, is the chief executive officer and a member of the faculty of each of its colleges, schools, institutes, and divisions. ^[3] The president is elected by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and is responsible to them for the operation of the system. The president prepares budgets for presentation to the board, recommends persons to the board for appointment to university positions, and is responsible for the enforcement of the rules and regulations of the universities. On recommendation of each university and by authority of the trustees, the president issues diplomas conferring degrees. ^[3] Following the establishment of the office in 1867, John Milton Gregory served as the first president, and there have been 20 presidents in total. ^[4] The current president is Timothy L. Killeen, who has held the position since May 18,2015. ^{[update] [1]}

On March 12, 1867, during the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of Illinois Industrial University, the trustees established the office of the president. ^[5] The original charter designated the chief executive officer of the university as "Regent" but this title was changed to "President" in 1894 following the end of Thomas Jonathan Burrill's term. ^{[6] [7]}

Up until 1967, the president also served as the principal administrator of the original Urbana-Champaign campus. In June 1966, at the recommendation of president David D. Henry, the board switched to a chancellorship system of administration. ^[8] The change established a new administrative office, the "Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign", and renamed the two administrators of the Chicago campuses, vice president of the University of Illinois at the Medical Center and vice president of the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, to chancellor. The two Chicago campuses were later consolidated in 1982 to form the University of Illinois Chicago. ^[9] The chancellors of each campus are appointed by the board following nomination by the president and perform duties that are assigned by the president. ^[3]

List of presidents

The following person have served as president of the University of Illinois: ^[4]

List of presidents

No. [a]	Image	President	Term start	Term end	Ref.
Regents of the Illinois Industrial University (1867–1885)
1		John Milton Gregory	1867	1880	[11]
2		Selim Peabody	1880	1891	[12]
Regents of the University of Illinois (1885–1894)
3 acting		Thomas Jonathan Burrill	1891	1894	[13] [6]
Presidents of the University of Illinois (1894–1967)
4		Andrew S. Draper	1894	1904 [b]	[14] [15]
5		Edmund J. James	1904	1920	[16] [17]
acting		David Kinley	1920	1921
6			1921	1930	[18] [19]
7		Harry Woodburn Chase	1930	1933 [c]	[20] [21]
8 acting		Arthur H. Daniels	1933	1934	[22]
9		Arthur Cutts Willard	1934	1946	[23]
10		George D. Stoddard	1946	1953 [d]	[24] [25]
acting		Lloyd Morey [e]	1953	1954
11			1954	1955	[26] [27]
Presidents of the University of Illinois system (1967–present)
12		David D. Henry	1955	1971	[28]
13		John E. Corbally	1971	1979 [f]	[29] [30]
14		Stanley O. Ikenberry	1979	July 31, 1995 [g]	[31]
15		James J. Stukel [h]	August 1, 1995	January 31, 2005	[32] [33]
16		B. Joseph White	February 1, 2005	December 31, 2009 [i]	[34] [35] [36]
17 [j]		Stanley O. Ikenberry	January 1, 2010	June 30, 2010	[37]
18		Michael Hogan	July 1, 2010	June 30, 2012	[38] [39] [40]
19		Robert A. Easter [k]	July 1, 2012	May 17, 2015	[41] [42] [43] [44]
20		Timothy L. Killeen	May 18, 2015	present	[45]

Timeline of presidencies

Gregory (1867–1880)

Peabody (1880–1891)

Burrill * (1891–1894)

Draper (1894–1904)

James (1904–1920)

Kinley (1920–1930)

Chase (1930–1933)

Daniels * (1933–1934)

Willard (1934–1946)

Stoddard (1946–1953)

Morey (1953–1954, 1954–1955)

Henry (1955–1971)

Corbally (1971–1979)

Ikenberry (1979–1995, 2010)

Stukel (1995–2005)

White (2005–2009)

Hogan (2010–2012)

Easter (2012–2015)

Killeen (2015–)

│

1867

│

1877

│

1887

│

1897

│

1907

│

1917

│

1927

│

1937

│

1947

│

1957

│

1967

│

1977

│

1987

│

1997

│

2007

│

2017

Presidents of the University of Illinois System (1867–present)
*Interim/acting president

See also

• List of chancellors of the University of Illinois Chicago
• List of chancellors of the University of Illinois Springfield
• List of chancellors of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Notes

1. The University of Illinois System numbers its presidents according to uninterrupted periods served by the same person, including acting and interim presidents. For example, Stanley Ikenberry was the 14th and 17th president, despite being "interim president-designate" during his second term. The university system numbers Michael Hogan as the 18th president. ^[10] Serving as acting president for one year before his official term, Lloyd Morey is numbered simply as the 11th president.
2. Draper resigned to become the first Commissioner of Education of the State of New York.
3. Chase resigned to become the president of New York University.
4. The University of Illinois Board of Trustees removed him through a vote of no confidence.
5. Morey was an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and worked in the administration throughout and after his studies.
6. Corbally resigned to become the president of the MacArthur Foundation.
7. Ikenberry resigned to become the president of the American Council on Education.
8. Stuckel is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
9. White resigned as a result of a clout scandal.
10. interim president-designate
11. Easter is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and led a 40-year career as a faculty member and administrator of the campus.

References

1. "Killeen 2015–Present". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved September 27, 2024.
2. Board of Trustees - University of Illinois System: Academic Personnel Supplement 2024-2025 (Report). University of Illinois System. August 20, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
3. Board of Trustees (November 12, 2020). University of Illinois Statutes (PDF) (Report). University of Illinois System. pp. 1–2. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
4. "University of Illinois Presidential History". President's Office. University of Illinois System. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
5. Reports of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (PDF) (Report). Vol. 1. Baker, Bailhache & Co., Printers. March 12, 1867. pp. 12–18. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
6. Pillsbury, William L., ed. (August 1, 1894). Reports of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (PDF) (Report). Vol. 17. Ed. F. Hartmann, State Printer. p. 269. Retrieved December 29, 2020. The following preamble and resolution were adopted: Whereas, Our original charter designated the chief executive officer of the University as the 'regent,' but since that time the duties of that office have been materially changed, and the title of 'president' has come to be recognized in the law and seems more appropriate, and the present time seems opportune for making the change, therefore, be it Resolved, That hereafter the title of the office be that of 'president,' and that the legislature be asked at the next session to confirm this action by a formal enactment.
7. "Draper 1894-1904". University of Illinois System. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
8. Janata, Anthony J., ed. (June 15, 1966). Reports of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, 1964–66 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 53. University of Illinois Press. pp. 1193–94. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
9. "University of Illinois at Chicago: History". UIC Archives. UIC Library. 2016. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
10. "Hogan 2010–2012". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
11. "Presidents of Kalamazoo College". Kalamazoo College . November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
12. "Peabody 1880-1891". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
13. "Burrill 1891–1894". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
14. Fine, Benjamin (May 5, 1956). "Eighth State Commissioner, Youngest in the Office, Seeks Public Support Chancellor Gives 'Charge' Veto of Long Island College". The New York Times . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
15. "Draper 1894-1904". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
16. Solberg, Winton U. (2009). "A Struggle for Control and a Moral Scandal: President Edmund J. James and the Powers of the President at the University of Illinois, 1911–14". History of Education Quarterly. 49 (1): 39–67. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5959.2009.01167.x. S2CID   145470104.
17. "James 1904-1920". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
18. "Past Presidents". American Economic Association . Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
19. "Kinley 1920-1930". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
20. Wilson, Louis R. (2016) [article written in 1979]. "Chase, Harry Woodburn". In Powell, William S. (ed.). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Vol. 1. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   978-1-4696-2901-8. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
21. "Chase 1930-1933". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
22. "Daniels 1933–1934". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
23. "Willard 1934-1946". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
24. "George Stoddard Dies at 84; Educator Led 4 Universities". The New York Times . December 29, 1981. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
25. "Stoddard 1946–1953". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
26. "Lloyd Morey". The Accounting Hall of Fame. American Accounting Association. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
27. "Morey 1954–1955". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
28. "Henry 1955–1971". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
29. Marc, David (2007). "Corbally, John Edward Jr.". The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Charles Scribner's Sons . Retrieved May 25, 2021.
30. "Corbally 1971-1979". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
31. "Ikenberry 1979–1995". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved August 1, 2023.
32. "Stukel 1995–2005". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
33. "UI president announces February 2005 retirement". University of Illinois System. February 5, 2004.
34. Cohen, Jodi S.; St. Clair, Stacy; Malone, Tara (September 24, 2009). "University of Illinois President B. Joseph White resigns". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
35. "White 2005-2009". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
36. Mercer, David; Belandi, Deanna (September 23, 2009). "U of I president to resign at end of year". The State Journal-Register .
37. "Ikenberry 2010". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
38. "History". Office of the President. University of Connecticut. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
39. "Hogan 2010-2012". President's Office. University of Illinois System.
40. "President Hogan Resigns from University of Illinois". WVIT . March 22, 2012.
41. "Easter 2012–2015". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved July 27, 2023.
42. "New University of Illinois president takes over". WLS-TV . July 2, 2012.
43. "Robert Easter — the accidental president". The Daily Illini . March 19, 2015.
44. Wise, Phyllis M. (March 23, 2012). "Today begins a new chapter in the history of the University of Illinois". UIUC.
45. "Killeen 2015–present". President's Office. University of Illinois System . Retrieved November 13, 2025.