The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has officially kicked off a national search for the U of I System’s 21st president, unveiling a detailed leadership profile and hiring an executive search firm to scout the field. Current president Tim Killeen will stay on through June 30, 2027, and trustees say they want a successor chosen well before then so the handoff is orderly, not frantic, and gives plenty of room for campus voices to weigh in.
Board releases leadership profile, hires AGB Search
The leadership profile will serve as the playbook for recruiting and vetting candidates, and the board has brought in executive search firm AGB Search to help assemble the pool, according to the University of Illinois System. The system’s announcement casts the presidency as a make-or-break role that demands serious research chops, fundraising firepower and a clear commitment to access and equity. Trustees have laid out a timeline that moves from finalizing the prospectus into active recruiting over the summer and fall.
Search committee and timeline
At its April 29 meeting, the Board named a Search Committee that includes trustees, faculty, students, staff and alumni, charging the group with refining the leadership profile and screening candidates, per the Board of Trustees. Co-chairs Ramón Cepeda and Ann Yeung will oversee a broad-based panel that advises the board, while hiring power stays firmly with the trustees. The board has also stressed that candidate identities will be kept confidential during active recruitment.
Campus listening and public input
To get a read on what the campuses want in their next leader, search committee members held town halls on each university in mid‑June. NPR Illinois reported that the Springfield stop took place June 17 at Brookens Auditorium. Officials told NPR that community feedback can also come in through the presidential search website so people across the system are heard, not just those who show up in person. Committee leaders say what they heard in those listening sessions fed directly into the leadership profile that will guide recruiting and evaluation.
Why the next president matters
The U of I System is among the country’s largest public university operations, with more than 101,000 students enrolled last fall and an estimated $24.9 billion in annual economic impact, a sprawling enterprise the next president will have to oversee, according to the University of Illinois System. Trustees say they are looking for someone who can keep top-tier research humming while staying plugged in across Illinois and ramping up philanthropy. Observers note that naming a successor early gives the system breathing room to choreograph leadership transitions across all three campuses.
What’s next
Applications and confidential nominations will run through the search firm and the board’s prospectus materials, and the Search Committee will work with AGB Search to narrow the field and send finalists to the board, according to board documents. Local coverage of the launch includes a short video from CBS Chicago, which recapped the announcement and the national scope of the search. Trustees say they hope to wrap things up by the end of 2026 so a careful transition plan is in place before Killeen steps aside next summer.
