University of Illinois trustees have approved the interim appointments of three people who are taking over for top leaders who recently resigned or were fired over turmoil on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
The unanimous votes confirmed that Dean Barb Wilson takes over as interim chancellor. Another dean, Edward Feser, becomes is the interim provost. And offensive coordinator Bill Cubit has stepped in as interim football coach.
Wilson takes over for Chancellor Phyllis Wise, who resigned last month just before the university revealed she and others had used private emails accounts to avoid public scrutiny. Provost Ilesanmi Adesida resigned, too.
Football coach Tim Beckman was fired over allegations he interfered in medical decisions regarding players.
All prospective faculty and many other University of Illinois job applicants will have to go through background checks starting in October.
University trustees have approved the new policy requiring the checks.
Right now only applicants for jobs in high-security positions require such checks.
In addition to faculty members, academic professionals and civil service applicants will need background checks. Student workers and volunteers will not.
Trustee Patrick Fitzgerald said in a news release that the policy is intended to make sure ``our campuses are safe, not deny second chances to people who have served their time.''
University officials have said the policy was not created in response to uproar last year over the hiring of former 1970s radical and convicted felon James Kilgore.
