University of Illinois trustees deny 1960s radical William Ayers emeritus status
By David Mercer, APFriday, September 24, 2010
U. of Ill. denies Ayers emeritus status
URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois has denied 1960s radical William Ayers emeritus faculty status.
The decision Thursday came after trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy noted Ayers dedicated a book to, among others, the man who killed Kennedy’s father, Sen. Robert Kennedy.
All nine voting trustees either opposed granting Ayers the largely honorary status or abstained from the vote.
Ayers recently retired as a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Universities often grant emeritus status to distinguished retired faculty members. University spokesman Tom Hardy says the distinction does not come with any pay.
Ayers co-founded the Weather Underground, an anti-war group held responsible for a series of bombings in the 1960s.
