Longtime University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers is retiring.

Ayers has been the subject of controversy over his career for his involvement with the 1970s radical group The Weather Underground. His support of President Barack Obama was also the topic of much debate during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Vicki Chou is the dean of the College of Education at UIC. She defends Ayers’ career, saying she will remember his service to Chicago’s public schools.

CHOU: It was very exciting when he founded the Small Schools Workshop, which had a lot of influence, I think, both locally and nationally, in talking about the importance of personalism and relationships - trusting relationships - at the school level.

Since the election, Ayers has drawn protests at public appearances. Ayers did not return calls for comment.