In 1956, at the age of 30, he was appointed vice rector of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, "a position he managed to keep for several years before getting thrown out—Illich was just a little too loud in his criticism of the Vatican's pronouncements on birth control and comparatively demure silence about the bomb."
Pada tahun 1956, di usia 30, ia diangkat sebagai wakil rektor Universitas Katolik Puerto Rico, "posisi yang berhasil menjaga selama beberapa tahun sebelum dikeluarkan -Illich hanya sedikit terlalu keras dalam kritiknya terhadap pernyataan Vatikan tentang pengendalian kelahiran dan sikap dingin terkait bom nuklir."