To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff &
           All Undergrad Students & All Grad Students <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "President Michael J. Hogan" < presmike@uillinois.edu>

Reply-To:  presmike@uillinois.edu
 Subject: Interim Vice Presidents Named

February 2, 2011

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Our Board of Trustees in November adopted a critical realignment of the 
University's administrative structure, one intended to make our 
organization more cohesive, to strengthen our hand in grappling with 
chronically difficult financial conditions and, ultimately, to sustain 
the University of Illinois' greatness for future generations. The 
restructuring followed months of collective self-examination, 
deliberation and consultation among faculty, students, staff, our 
trustees and me. I deeply appreciate the work of everyone involved.

I am pleased today to announce the appointments of two outstanding 
individuals - each one an exemplar of the excellence of the University 
of Illinois - to key roles as part of the restructuring process. They are:

- As interim Vice President for Research, Professor Lawrence B. Schook, 
Director of the Division of Biomedical Sciences at the Urbana-Champaign 
campus.

Larry is an internationally renowned scholar in genomics with significant 
leadership experience in building strategic alliances and in winning tens 
of millions of dollars in competitively awarded research grants.  

- As interim Vice President for Health Affairs, Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, 
M.D., Vice Chancellor for Research and a professor in the College of 
Medicine at the Chicago campus. 

A physician-scientist with an esteemed international reputation for his 
expertise in lung disease and its prevention, Skip came to UIC a year ago 
with a broad range of clinical and research leadership experience. Skip 
also has a strong track record for attracting research funding.

Biographies of Larry Schook and Skip Garcia, as well as background 
information on the administrative realignment, may be found at 
http://www.uillinois.edu/our/news/2011/Feb2.VP.links.cfm.

We can be proud that the University of Illinois has within its faculty 
and administration scholars as capable as Larry Schook and Skip Garcia to 
step into these roles at such a crucial time for the University. Skip 
will move into his interim position Feb. 16, and Larry will move into his 
on March 1, subject to Board of Trustees formal approval in March. The 
University will conduct searches within the next year to fill both 
positions permanently.

As you may recall when our trustees approved these positions, the goal 
was, first and foremost, to improve our research and clinical health care 
missions, in part by establishing better cooperation and coordination 
across the three campuses. The changes followed recommendations made in 
last year's Administrative Review and Restructuring (ARR) report.

The office of the vice president for research was established by re-
titling the vice president for technology and economic development and 
expanding into that portfolio important responsibilities for the 
University's vast $725 million-a-year, externally funded research 
enterprise. The VP-Research will facilitate collaborative research 
opportunities, streamline related policies and procedures, and act as a 
coherent, unified voice for U of I research.
 
Larry is the Gutgsell Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences on 
the Urbana campus. As the Director of the Division of Biomedical 
Sciences, he is responsible for directing strategic alliances related to 
health research and leading the Illinois Health Sciences Initiative that 
coordinates Urbana campus research and educational programs. He holds 
joint appointments in bioengineering, nutritional sciences, and in 
pathology, part of the UIC College of Medicine, and has faculty 
appointments with the Institute for Genomic Biology and the Beckman 
Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. His scholarly activities 
include authoring more than 200 publications and editing six books. He is 
the founding editor of Animal Biotechnology.

After three years of excellent service as vice president for technology 
and economic development, Avijit Ghosh will move into the role of special 
assistant to the president, an important function interim President Stan 
Ikenberry temporarily performed until his recent return to the faculty. 
Avijit will assist in the vice president's office transition to VP-
Research and in the implementation of the cost-saving measures 
recommended by the ARR working group.

The office of the vice president for health affairs was created in 
recognition of the fact that while most of the clinical health care 
enterprise, which accounts for about one-third of the University's 
operating budget, is housed at UIC, it extends throughout the university 
and most of Illinois. The VP-Health Affairs reports directly to the 
president with a secondary reporting relationship to the UIC vice 
president/chancellor. Responsibilities include oversight of the 
University's hospital, long overdue for renovation; connecting better the 
clinical mission to the research and teaching missions; and generating 
additional clinical revenue. 

Skip joined UIC last February after four years as chair of the department 
of Medicine at the University of Chicago. At UIC, he is the Earl M. Bane 
Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Bioengineering. The author or co-
author of nearly 350 peer-reviewed publications and 25 book chapters, 
Skip is internationally recognized for his expertise on the genetic basis 
of lung disease and the prevention and treatment of inflammatory lung 
injury, especially in susceptible populations such as African Americans 
and Latinos. Several of his approaches to prevent vascular leak have been 
patented. He is a passionate advocate for the training of physician 
scientists and is an active supporter of minority medical and science 
students. Skip will continue to serve as UIC's Vice Chancellor for 
Research.

Please join me in welcoming Larry and Skip, and thanking them for their 
willingness to take on these important new responsibilities.
 
Sincerely,

Michael J. Hogan
President
This mailing approved by:
The Office of the President

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