University trustees met for a brief special session Tuesday to approve several housekeeping issues, including the appointment of an interim general counsel.

The SIU Board of Trustees unanimously approved Lucas Crater, who serves as associate general counsel for healthcare and compliance at the university’s Springfield campus, as interim general counsel during Tuesday’s seven-minute session. The board also added a meeting date to its 2013 calendar since its regularly scheduled Feb. 28 meeting was canceled.

University president Glenn Poshard said Crater worked in the general counsel office since May 2005, when he began as a law clerk while attending the university’s law school. Crater was hired as an assistant general counsel in August 2006 after he graduated, and he was promoted to his Springfield position January 2008, Poshard said.

“Luke’s broad familiarity with the university, including the medical school, make him the strongest candidate for interim general counsel,” he said.

Poshard said Crater would split his time between Springfield and Carbondale. According to the board’s trustee-approved agenda, Crater’s salary will be $145,000 per fiscal year, or $12,083.34 monthly. However, Poshard said it typically takes six months or less to find a permanent general counsel.

Upon Crater’s board approval, Board Chair Pro Tempore Roger Herrin congratulated him.

“Welcome aboard,” he said. “I’ve got a feeling you’ve got your hands full.”

Herrin’s statement reflects the unrest the board has experienced since Feb. 25, when Gov. Pat Quinn appointed Lee Milner, of Springfield; Melvin Terrell, of Chicago; and Sandra Cook, of Collinsville; to take over for ousted members Ed Hightower, John Simmons and Mark Hinrichs. However, the three new members were SIUC graduates, which meant the board would have no SIUE representatives beyond David Hamilton, SIUE’s student trustee.

The Illinois Senate unanimously rejected the governor’s appointments Wednesday, and Milner and Terrell had to leave executive session because they were not technically trustees. Herrin had to adjourn the meeting because not enough members were present to hold it. During the press conference that followed, the board argued over the senate’s rejections as well as accusations that Herrin played a role in the trustee changes.

Illinois lawmakers also submitted several bills recently that would affect how the BOT functions. State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, introduced a bill Feb. 26 that would split the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses and form two separate boards. State Sen. Bill Haine, D-Alton, introduced a bill Feb. 28 that would force the board to be composed of three alumni from each university.

Because the board was unable to meet Feb. 28, the board unanimously voted during Tuesday’s meeting to hold its next meeting Apr. 3.