University of Illinois board approves $175,000 in bonuses

CHICAGO (AP) - The University of Illinois board has approved bonuses totaling $175,000 for the president of the university's system and the chancellor of the University of Illinois-Chicago campus for the second straight year.

The university board of trustees approved the bonuses for President Timothy Killeen and Chancellor Michael Amiridis on Thursday for their performance during the 2016-2017 school year.

The trustees approved a $100,000 bonus for Killeen and a $75,000 bonus for Amiridis. Both are expected to receive the bonuses within 90 days.

The approval came after the University of Illinois System escaped broad declines in enrollment this fall among other public universities in the state.

Board Chairman Timothy Koritz said the trustees evaluated Killeen at a closed session in September and determined that he deserved 100 percent of his merit pay.

"It was pretty much unanimous among board members that we felt that Tim has done a really good job. He's very conscientious," Koritz said. "He's an excellent communicator. He's started a bunch of initiatives that I think are good strategic moves for the long-term health of the university."

Killeen evaluated Amiridis' work in increasing student enrollment and boosting UIC's visibility, among other things.

"Your hard work, your close respectful connections with your core campus and local communities, your analytical insight and experience, and your responsiveness to urgent calls on your time and expertise have all been important elements of the progress we have made this year, and you have certainly helped me in my role as president," Killeen wrote in his memo to Amiridis.

At Thursday's meeting, the trustees also voted to eliminate the incentive-based program from Amiridis' compensation package and roll that money into his base salary, a news release from the university system states. They also approved a $6.5 billion system budget for the 2017-2018 year.