Paula Allen-Meares to Stay On as Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago
Filed in Breaking News on November 22, 2013
The board of trustees of the University of Illinois has extended the contract of Paula Allen-Meares as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago through January 2015. Dr. Meares became chancellor of the university in January 2009. Previously, she served as the dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan.
University of Illinois President Robert Easter, stated, “Under her leadership UIC has continued its remarkable growth in enrollment, in academic and research achievement, and in respect as one of the world’s great urban universities.”
Dr. Allen-Meares is a graduate of the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York system. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.
The announcement places a positive spin on what is not a positive story. A one-year extension for a Chancellor who has done what Easter says she has done is not really an extension. It is a somewhat polite path to the door. JBHE might want to dig into this one.
No minorities in Academia should be surprised. Under the current system this is the status quo. Meares has opened the door for many, many, many people!
Based on Dr. Easter’s comments, she deserves a 5 year contract extension.
I graduated from UIC. It is great progress to see a woman in this position, not to mention a black women. Still the “extension” is suspicious. The school has come a long way over the years. It is almost a competitor with the Urbana campus which was a dream when I attended.