Radical prof James Kilgore, who spent 5 years in prison, could cost U. of Illinois a giant donation

Two academic programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have begun the process of rehiring controversial professor James Kilgore — a decision that could have financial implications for the public university system.

Kilgore, who spent about five years in prison for his part in a 1970s murder, worked as a lecturer and researcher at the U. of I. from 2010 until earlier this year. His employment was not approved for this semester after his criminal past became public and university board members expressed concern.

Earlier this month, however, after faculty pressure to reinstate him, a divided U. of I. board of trustees cleared the way for his rehiring, saying academic units should act under "their existing hiring practices" for part-time faculty, which leaves employment decisions to campus officials.

Kilgore, 66, told the Tribune that two academic units — the Center for African Studies and the Global Studies program — have "made requests" to hire him for the spring semester that begins in January. Kilgore said he has been transformed since he participated in the Symbionese Liberation Army, a 1970s-era radical group.

But if Kilgore does rejoin the faculty, at least one major university donor has said he will withdraw his pledged support, which would mean about $4.5 million to the University of Illinois at Chicago's bioengineering department. Both UIC and the Urbana-Champaign campus are part of the U. of I. system....

Soon after his release, Kilgore applied for a position at the U. of I. He wrote to Merle Bowen, director of the Center for African Studies, where his wife was a member of the center's advisory committee. She also is a full-time professor of history and gender/women's studies at the U. of I.