Controversial University of Illinois professor James Kilgore will be back in the classroom in the Spring. Kilgore signed a contract this week, and will be teaching an eight-week undergraduate course on the Urbana campus.
Kilgore was barred from working at the U of I for the past semester, following a media report looking into his past. Kilgore had been a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a 1970s-era domestic terrorist group.
After spending years on the run from authorities, Kilgore served jail time for his role in a bank robbery with the SLA, that ended with one person dead.
Professor Tom Bassett says after the Board cleared the path for Kilgore to be re-hired, the Department of Global Studies moved forward with a class Kilgore was supposed to teach this semester.
"Last year, he taught two courses. In both classes, he was evaluated by students very highly. In fact, he made this coveted list of teachers ranked 'excellent' by his students in both of his classes."
The decision to bring Kilgore back may have financial repercussions for the U of I; one donor has threatened to pull $4.5 million dollars in promised funding.
