In a surprising move, University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise announced today that she would be resigning her position on August 12 to return to the faculty. WCIA’s Aaron Bennet has the full press release, seen below:
In making her decision, Wise claimed “external issues have arisen over the past year that have distracted us from the important tasks at hand.” It’s easy to infer these “external issues” are, at least in part, lawsuits against the women’s basketball team and soccer team, as well as accusations of mistreatment of players on the football team.
Wise has been one of the most vocal supporters of Athletic Director Mike Thomas throughout his tenure and especially during these “distractions.” As such, her resignation has the potential to greatly affect the future of the athletic department.
Here’s more info from the News-Gazette.
Photo from Huffington Post.