URBANA — Ties to Illinois would be "icing on the cake" for a new University of Illinois athletic director but not a mandatory condition, say the two people who will choose the next AD.
President Tim Killeen and interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson both used that phrase when asked Monday whether the new athletic director has to have an Illinois connection.
"I know there's a lot of interest in that. I think that might be a value that would be brought to the table," Killeen told The News-Gazette following his annual meeting with the faculty Monday.
Wilson said it's "one of many criteria on the list that are really important.