Pierre to resign as vice president for academic affairs

Christophe Pierre

Christophe Pierre, vice president for academic affairs for the University of Illinois system since 2011, announced June 16 that he will resign, effective Aug. 31, to accept a position as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology, a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey.

President Tim Killeen said Pierre has been a leading advocate for student access and affordability during his nearly five years as chief academic officer, and helped develop financial efficiencies and structural reforms to steer the University system through the challenges of an ongoing state budget impasse.

“Christophe has been a valued colleague and trusted advisor under three presidents, and I am especially grateful to him for sharing his leadership, insights and experience to help guide me during my first year in office,” Killeen said.

During Pierre’s tenure, the university system has frozen tuition for incoming Illinois freshmen for two straight years, on the heels of two years where rates grew by an inflation-based 1.7 percent. Enrollment also grew across the system’s universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield — from about 76,000 students to a record of more than 80,000 last fall.

Along with increasing student access to the U of I’s educational programs, enrollment gains also boosted tuition revenues, helping support operations during a state budget impasse that reduced funding during the current fiscal year to about a quarter of the system’s roughly $650 million appropriation the year before.

Pierre also helped lead the university system’s ongoing efforts to control costs, implementing new budget review processes, operational efficiencies and structural reforms that channeled revenue to student programs and services.

“It has been a privilege for me to serve this world-class university for the past five years,” Pierre said. “The University of Illinois has tremendously dedicated and talented faculty, students and staff, and I am upbeat about its future.”

Before joining the U of I system in October 2011, Pierre served for more than six years as dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics and the 2005 winner of the N.O. Myklestad Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

He will begin his new post on Sept. 1, serving as chief academic officer and the second highest-ranking administrator at Stevens, a private research university with 6,600 students and more than 290 full-time faculty.

Killeen said the succession process for Pierre’s U of I post is under review but will be designed to ensure appropriate continuity of leadership.