CHICAGO — Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is taking on a new role — as a University of Illinois trustee.

Gov. Pat Quinn announced Friday that he appointed Chicago's former top federal prosecutor and corruption buster to the university's Board of Trustees.

Fitzgerald is best known as the tenacious prosecutor who helped put former Illinois Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich in prison. He left his post last year to work in a private law office. Quinn says Fitzgerald "will be an outstanding member of our outstanding leadership team at Illinois' flagship university."