CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen announced on Thursday he will leave his role at the end of his current contract on June 30, 2027.
Killeen told IPM News Thursday that he does not have plans yet after stepping down, but he wanted to help create a graceful and seamless transition for his successor.
“I’ve talked with my wife extensively about this. Lots of family considerations as well as everything else, but at some point, it’s time to move on,” Killeen said.
Killen said does not plan to retire yet and wants to stay involved in ensuring the youth have affordable opportunities.
Killeen has led the system of three Springfield, Chicago and Champaign-Urbana universities since 2015, after a career in geophysics and space science and after serving as vice chancellor at the State University of New York.
Enrollment in the U of I System has grown since he took office, including of underrepresented minority students. He has led the three universities through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in higher education under the Trump administration.
Killen recently spoke with The 21st Show for an hour about how he is navigating the system through the new political climate.
The three universities’ shared Board of Trustees said Thursday that it will begin the search process for the next president in the coming weeks.
IPM Education Reporter Emily Hays sat down with Killeen to discuss why he plans to leave — and ask him to reflect on his legacy as president.
Interview Highlights
On why Killeen is choosing to step down now:
“[W]hen is the right time to clarify to everybody at the university that there’s going to be a transition and make that as graceful, and seamless, orderly and, frankly, as classy as I could manage? Because these things sometimes appear to be crisis-driven, etc. So I felt that it was time to clarify that this would be my last [term]. Obviously, I’ve talked to my wife extensively about this and [there are] lots of family considerations as well as everything else, but at some point, it’s time to move on…”
Why he’s proud to have seen enrollment grow and kept costs relatively low:
“We’ve kept our costs down. That has not been easy, Emily, as you might imagine. We’ve had budget impasses, we’ve had all kinds of things, but we have made inroads in giving more than 100,000 students now access to this kind of high-caliber, world-class educational outcomes, and they graduate, and they go on to raise families and have jobs. That’s a major contribution.”
On the U of I System’s impact during the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Look what we did with COVID. I can’t think of a university that came close to what we did and gave it away for the world … In terms of the test and the data, and the vaccine, and the clinical trials that we did and all of those things. So I think the fact … it’s only three universities, but we are collegial. We work well together. We’re the largest educator in the state of Illinois. If it was a country, it would be G18, G20, up there. There’s a significance to this enterprise that is really important for the future.”
This interview has been shortened and lightly edited for clarity.
EMILY HAYS: Why have you decided to leave your role as president of the University of Illinois system next year?
TIM KILLEEN: Well, it’s not immediate. I have had three contracts from the board. My first contract was five years. I served that. My next contract was four years. I served that. This contract is three years, and it ends on June 30, 2027. So that will be a 12-year term. [I was] thinking this through: when is the right time to clarify to everybody at the university that there’s going to be a transition and make that as graceful, and seamless, orderly and, frankly, as classy as I could manage? Because these things sometimes appear to be crisis-driven, etc. So I felt that it was time to clarify that this would be my last [term]. Obviously, I’ve talked to my wife extensively about this and [there are] lots of family considerations as well as everything else, but at some point, it’s time to move on [with] what I feel like I’ve accomplished, and I think other people feel the same way. There’s a lot of momentum … so I’ve got two commencement seasons to go through, and I’m not going to skip a beat. Frankly, Emily, I’m not going to slow down … forging ahead, right? Trying to hit that accelerator pedal, if anything, through to the last day.
HAYS: What are your plans for after your term ends in 2027?
KILLEEN: Frankly, I don’t think I’m retirement material, so I’m going to have to keep contributing. I have a lot of energy. There are many things I feel passionate about, particularly for the youth, making sure there’s hope and aspiration and opportunity and affordable access to pathways that can be beneficial for communities and families and for individual students. I’m an educator … so I anticipate I will be still involved in something that I feel is an important contribution. Now, it may not be in the leadership of a massive, you know, multi-billion-dollar entity like this … I’m obviously thinking that through, but there’ll be time for that as well. I don’t have a very clear answer to that. There’s nothing I’m leaving this for.
This has been a great honor to be in this job. To be here for this period, which is … significantly longer than the average tenure, has been a great honor. I think I brought some stability, and I want to demonstrate a graceful model of a transition.
HAYS: Enrollment in the U of I system has grown since you took office in 2015, including of underrepresented minority students. You also led the system through the COVID-19 pandemic. I just wanted you to pick one pet project that describes your approach as president.
KILLEEN: The fact that we have worked together as a team to create avenues and pathways to world-class educational opportunities at an affordable price with access. The growth in enrollment is a signal that that’s worked well. We’ve kept our costs down. That has not been easy, Emily, as you might imagine. We’ve had budget impasses, we’ve had all kinds of things, but we have made inroads in giving more than 100,000 students now access to this kind of high-caliber, world-class educational outcomes, and they graduate, and they go on to raise families and have jobs. That’s a major contribution.
HAYS: The Board of Trustees will begin searching soon for the new U of I System president. Do you have any hopes or aspirations for your successor, or qualities that you think would help them succeed?
KILLEEN: This is a complex job. And there are days when it’s a hard job, but very meaningful. It’s never boring. I really feel that the new leader should be what I would like to call a servant leader, somebody who’s committed to the essential mission that we exemplify. We call it shorthand the land grant mission, but lifting society, serving society at scale, creating new knowledge, disseminating new knowledge in ways that are authentic and important, and you know, with excellence.
I think the commitment to excellence and integrity is also really central to leadership, particularly these days. Those are the kinds of attributes I hope I brought to the table to the best of my ability.
The platform of U of I right now is just ready for great things to happen. We built … what I like to call a platform for performance that I don’t think exists in many other places in the world. Look what we did with COVID. I can’t think of a university that came close to what we did and gave it away for the world.
HAYS: In terms of the tests?
KILLEEN: In terms of the test and the data, and the vaccine, and the clinical trials that we did and all of those things. So I think the fact … it’s only three universities, but we are collegial. We work well together. We’re the largest educator in the state of Illinois. If it was a country, it would be G18, G20, up there. There’s a significance to this enterprise that is really important for the future. I’m very proud of that.
HAYS: All right, thank you. I’ve been speaking with University of Illinois system president Tim Killeen, thank you for talking with me.
KILLEEN: Absolutely, Emily. All the best.