University of Illinois clout scandal
Encyclopedia
The University of Illinois clout scandal resulted from a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune
which reported that some applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(UIUC) "received special consideration
" for acceptance between 2005 and 2009, despite having sub-par qualifications. The series began on May 29, 2009. An investigatory committee appointed by Illinois governor
Pat Quinn
was formed a few weeks later. The controversy led to the resignation of B. Joseph White
, president of the University of Illinois, who oversaw the three campuses in the University system, and Richard Herman
, chancellor of UIUC. The scandal eventually spread to include evidence of graft by members of the Board of Trustees, resulting in the resignation of seven of the nine members.
from an accredited university.
A panel appointed by the governor to investigate the scandal found that the Board of Trustees had acted improperly and exerted continuing pressure on University officials. The panel "put much of the blame on Richard Herman, chancellor of the university's flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, saying his conduct was inconsistent with the university's 'principles of ethical conduct and fair dealing.'" Many of the thousands of pages of e-mails and other documents released by the university in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request involved communication with Herman. The panel also found fault with University president B. Joseph White
. Upon first release, the most notable student to receive special consideration was a relative of Tony Rezko
, who was convicted on sixteen charges of fraud
and bribery
and was a political contributor to then-governor Rod Blagojevich
. In one email, White wrote to Urbana chancellor Herman that Blagojevich "has expressed his support, and would like to see admitted" two applicants, including Rezko's relative. The university had rejected the application of Rezko's relative earlier in the day, but later reversed the decision despite poor ACT scores. Other state officials implicated in providing social influence over admissions are Illinois Senate
president
John Cullerton
, House
Speaker
Michael Madigan
, state treasurer
Alexi Giannoulias
, U.S. Representative
Tim Johnson, and Illinois Representatives Bill Mitchell
and Chapin Rose
.
. Wealthier schools already had an advantage due to families who had political connections to elected officials and university trustees. High schools that had the most applicants on the clout list include Highland Park High School
, Deerfield High School
, New Trier High School
, Glenbrook North High School
, Glenbrook South High School
, Loyola Academy
, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, Fenwick High School
, Benet Academy
, Hinsdale Central High School
, Carl Sandburg High School
, and York Community High School
.
, the indicted governor who appointed him to the Board.
Richard Herman
also pledged to investigate the findings.
On June 10, 2009 Illinois governor Pat Quinn
announced that he appointed a panel to investigate the allegations, led by former judge Abner Mikva. The investigation confirmed that the university filed some students as "Category I" applicants, meaning that they had connections from influential individuals. Their applications were designated with a red stripe. State Senator
Kirk Dillard later proposed a bill that would immediately fire all nine university trustee
s. The university law school responded by forbidding any inquiries on admission status unless made by the applicant. According to the former law Dean
Heidi Hurd, the law school admitted "about 15 students" from the clout list during her five-year tenure. When Hurd emailed Herman about one candidate who was particularly poorly-qualified, Herman stated that university trustees would find jobs for five students after graduation to preserve the school's ranking.
Although Hurd claimed in a letter to the Chicago Tribune that the portions of her e-mail exchanges with Herman appearing to be quid-pro-quo deals were purely sarcastic, the chairman of the commission investigating the scandal, ex-federal judge Abner Mikva, dismissed Herman's claims that the comments were 'sarcastic and facetious'.
On July 6, 2009 several law faculty collectively wrote an open letter to the Tribune, protesting the coverage as incomplete, biased and inflammatory.
During a hearing on July 27, 2009 at the Beckman Center on the Champaign-Urbana campus, White stated in response to a question that he had informed the chancellor of the Urbana campus of the application of a relative.
, who is prosecuting Blagojevich on corruption charges, has also subpoena
ed Northern Illinois University
and Southern Illinois University
regarding correspondence between the former governor and admission offices. The Southern Illinois University School of Law
on the Carbondale campus
revealed that Blagojevich submitted letters of recommendation for two students, but neither was admitted.
The panel's recommendation include, but are not limited to:
Governor Patrick Quinn announced the following day that he would undertake the panel's recommendation and called for the resignations of all trustees. Former chairman Larry Eppley (appointed by Blagojevich) had already resigned, as had then-current chairman Niranjan Shah (also appointed by Blagojevich). Trustee McMillan tendered his resignation in accordance with the panels finding, though McMillan was appointed by Quinn and was not involved in the scandal.
At White's final Board of Trustees meeting on November 11, 2009, he shared a September 24, 2009 letter from Judge Abner J. Mikva
stating, "I was sad to learn that you are resigning as President of the University." Judge Mikva added, "Everything that came out during the investigation by the University of Illinois Admissions Review Commission that I headed indicated that you always had the best interests of the University as the basis for your actions." He concluded, "You are a person of great integrity and worthy of great respect." On January 21, 2010, the Board of Trustees appointed White President Emeritus of the University of Illinois. White also continued to assist the University's "Brilliant Futures" fundraising campaign. More than $1.71 billion of the campaign's $2.25 billion goal had been raised under White's leadership at the time of his resignation. White also retained his faculty position at the University.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has named Michael J. Hogan, formerly the president of the University of Connecticut, to succeed Ikenberry and become the permanent president of the University of Illinois.
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
which reported that some applicants to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
(UIUC) "received special consideration
Social influence
Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts, feelings or actions are affected by other people. Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing...
" for acceptance between 2005 and 2009, despite having sub-par qualifications. The series began on May 29, 2009. An investigatory committee appointed by Illinois governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...
was formed a few weeks later. The controversy led to the resignation of B. Joseph White
B. Joseph White
Bernard Joseph White is President Emeritus of the University of Illinois and James F. Towey Professor of Business and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is Dean Emeritus of the Stephen M...
, president of the University of Illinois, who oversaw the three campuses in the University system, and Richard Herman
Richard Herman
Richard H. Herman served as the Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005-2009. He previously served there as Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs since 1998. While at the university he promoted excellence and diversity across the breadth of academic programs...
, chancellor of UIUC. The scandal eventually spread to include evidence of graft by members of the Board of Trustees, resulting in the resignation of seven of the nine members.
Initial findings
On May 29, 2009, the Chicago Tribune published "Clout Goes to College," an article detailing preferential consideration to applicants with connections to politicians and university trustees. According to the article, some students were being admitted despite having sub-par qualifications. The investigation revealed that approximately 800 students over five years landed on the so-called "clout list" and, though not all were unworthy, the admission rate of these students was eight percentage points higher than the school average. One student was accepted into the business school after having been rejected three times. Prior to acceptance, university officials did not confirm whether he had a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from an accredited university.
A panel appointed by the governor to investigate the scandal found that the Board of Trustees had acted improperly and exerted continuing pressure on University officials. The panel "put much of the blame on Richard Herman, chancellor of the university's flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, saying his conduct was inconsistent with the university's 'principles of ethical conduct and fair dealing.'" Many of the thousands of pages of e-mails and other documents released by the university in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request involved communication with Herman. The panel also found fault with University president B. Joseph White
B. Joseph White
Bernard Joseph White is President Emeritus of the University of Illinois and James F. Towey Professor of Business and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is Dean Emeritus of the Stephen M...
. Upon first release, the most notable student to receive special consideration was a relative of Tony Rezko
Tony Rezko
Antoin "Tony" Rezko is a Assyrian -American businessman, political fundraiser, restaurateur, and real estate developer in Chicago, Illinois, convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery in 2008. Rezko has been involved in fundraising for local Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians...
, who was convicted on sixteen charges of fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and was a political contributor to then-governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
. In one email, White wrote to Urbana chancellor Herman that Blagojevich "has expressed his support, and would like to see admitted" two applicants, including Rezko's relative. The university had rejected the application of Rezko's relative earlier in the day, but later reversed the decision despite poor ACT scores. Other state officials implicated in providing social influence over admissions are Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
president
President of the Illinois Senate
This is a complete list of the Presidents of the Illinois Senate as of 2007. Each was chosen since the Illinois General Assembly's thirty-second session in 1881. Prior to 1973, the Senate was led by the Lieutenant Governor and so the elected officers listed, until then, were known as President pro...
John Cullerton
John Cullerton
John J. Cullerton is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 6th district since his appointment in 1991. He was elected President of the Illinois Senate in 2009.- Early life :...
, House
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
Speaker
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
-List of Speakers:This is a complete list of the Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives, as of 2007. Each was chosen since the Illinois General Assembly's first session in 1818.The colors indicate the political party affiliation of each speaker....
Michael Madigan
Michael Madigan
Michael J. Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois...
, state treasurer
Illinois State Treasurer
The Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.-Current occupant and duties:, the Treasurer of Illinois is Dan Rutherford, a member of the Republican Party...
Alexi Giannoulias
Alexi Giannoulias
Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias is an American politician who served as Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. A Democrat, Giannoulias defeated Republican candidate State Senator Christine Radogno in November 2006 with 54 percent of the vote, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in 12...
, U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Tim Johnson, and Illinois Representatives Bill Mitchell
Bill Mitchell (politician)
Bill Mitchell is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 87th district since 1999.Bill Mitchell is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, receiving a B.A. in Political Science in 1982. He has been a Decatur City Councilman, Macon County Republican...
and Chapin Rose
Chapin Rose
Chapin Rose is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 110th district since 2003. He has a B.S., University of Illinois; J.D., University of Illinois College of Law. He married , has one son and one daughter. He will be having twins.Rep...
.
Students who benefited from clout
Most of the students who benefited from political connections came from elite and affluent high schools. Among the least connected were students who attended Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
. Wealthier schools already had an advantage due to families who had political connections to elected officials and university trustees. High schools that had the most applicants on the clout list include Highland Park High School
Highland Park High School (Highland Park, Illinois)
Highland Park High School, or HPHS, is a public four-year high school located in Highland Park, Illinois, a North Shore suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 113, which also includes Deerfield High School.Prior to the 1949–50 school year, the...
, Deerfield High School
Deerfield High School (Illinois)
Deerfield High School, or DHS, is a public four-year high school in Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Township High School District 113, which also includes Highland Park High School....
, New Trier High School
New Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
, Glenbrook North High School
Glenbrook North High School
Glenbrook North High School, or GBN, is a public four-year high school located in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
, Glenbrook South High School
Glenbrook South High School
Glenbrook South High School, or GBS, is a public four-year high school located in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Northfield Township High School District, which also includes Glenbrook North High School...
, Loyola Academy
Loyola Academy
Loyola Academy is a private, co-educational college preparatory high school, located in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, it is one of 47 Jesuit high schools in the United States and is a member of the Jesuit Secondary Education...
, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, Fenwick High School
Fenwick High School
Fenwick High School is a private university-preparatory school located in Oak Park, Illinois, founded in 1929 as part of the Province of St. Albert the Great . It is the only school operated and staffed by the Catholic Order of Dominican friars in the United States. It is named in honor of...
, Benet Academy
Benet Academy
Benet Academy is a co-educational, college-preparatory, Benedictine high school in Lisle, Illinois, United States, overseen by the Diocese of Joliet. Founded in 1887, the school was initially established in Chicago as the all-boys St. Procopius College and Academy by Benedictine monks, who also...
, Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded in 1879, the school is well known for its large spending per student, academic...
, Carl Sandburg High School
Carl Sandburg High School
Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and 131st Street in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Consolidated High School District 230, which also...
, and York Community High School
York Community High School
York Community High School is a public secondary school in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. Most of the students reside in Elmhurst, however the district also draws a small number of students from Addison, Bensenville, and Oak Brook...
.
Controversy and resignations with Board of Trustees
The University is overseen by a Board of Trustees consisting of nine members appointed by the governor for six year terms, as well as three students. The Board oversees the operation of the three campuses and is intended to be a watchdog of and advocate for the university. The chairman of the board, Niranjan Shah, announced his resignation from the board amid allegations that he had meddled with applications and had pressured the university to hire one of his relatives. Shah's companies had received millions in state contracts, and he had personally contributed more than $50,000 to Rod BlagojevichRod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, the indicted governor who appointed him to the Board.
University and state response
White stated on May 29, 2009 that, "There's no secret clout list. The Tribune invented the term 'secret clout list'." White stated the following day, "To the extent some problems were pointed out, we can and will correct them." University ChancellorChancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
Richard Herman
Richard Herman
Richard H. Herman served as the Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005-2009. He previously served there as Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs since 1998. While at the university he promoted excellence and diversity across the breadth of academic programs...
also pledged to investigate the findings.
On June 10, 2009 Illinois governor Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...
announced that he appointed a panel to investigate the allegations, led by former judge Abner Mikva. The investigation confirmed that the university filed some students as "Category I" applicants, meaning that they had connections from influential individuals. Their applications were designated with a red stripe. State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Kirk Dillard later proposed a bill that would immediately fire all nine university trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s. The university law school responded by forbidding any inquiries on admission status unless made by the applicant. According to the former law Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
Heidi Hurd, the law school admitted "about 15 students" from the clout list during her five-year tenure. When Hurd emailed Herman about one candidate who was particularly poorly-qualified, Herman stated that university trustees would find jobs for five students after graduation to preserve the school's ranking.
Although Hurd claimed in a letter to the Chicago Tribune that the portions of her e-mail exchanges with Herman appearing to be quid-pro-quo deals were purely sarcastic, the chairman of the commission investigating the scandal, ex-federal judge Abner Mikva, dismissed Herman's claims that the comments were 'sarcastic and facetious'.
On July 6, 2009 several law faculty collectively wrote an open letter to the Tribune, protesting the coverage as incomplete, biased and inflammatory.
During a hearing on July 27, 2009 at the Beckman Center on the Champaign-Urbana campus, White stated in response to a question that he had informed the chancellor of the Urbana campus of the application of a relative.
Involvement of other schools
Patrick FitzgeraldPatrick Fitzgerald
Patrick J. Fitzgerald is the current United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel...
, who is prosecuting Blagojevich on corruption charges, has also subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
and Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
regarding correspondence between the former governor and admission offices. The Southern Illinois University School of Law
Southern Illinois University School of Law
Southern Illinois University School of Law is a law school in Carbondale, Illinois. The college offers Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, and Master of Legal Studies programs. It also offers dual degree programs in Accounting, Medicine, Education, Business Administration, Public Administration, Social...
on the Carbondale campus
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
revealed that Blagojevich submitted letters of recommendation for two students, but neither was admitted.
Commission findings
The commission led by Mikva found that trustees, deans, White, and Herman, all contributed to "substantial...admission-related abuses and irregularities."The panel's recommendation include, but are not limited to:
- Calling "on all members of the Board of Trustees to voluntarily submit their resignations and thereby permit the Governor to determine which Trustees should be reappointed."
- Urging the Governor to "charge the new Board with conducting a thorough and expeditious review of the University President, the UIUC Chancellor, and other University administrators, with respect to the information set forth in" the Commission's Report.
- Recommending creation of a "firewall" that isolates school officials not involved with the admissions process.
- Urging input on the process to elect board of trustees members from other interested parties, especially the alumni groups.
Governor Patrick Quinn announced the following day that he would undertake the panel's recommendation and called for the resignations of all trustees. Former chairman Larry Eppley (appointed by Blagojevich) had already resigned, as had then-current chairman Niranjan Shah (also appointed by Blagojevich). Trustee McMillan tendered his resignation in accordance with the panels finding, though McMillan was appointed by Quinn and was not involved in the scandal.
White's resignation
On October 3, 2009, the University Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of President White (see related section) as of the end of the year. White timed his resignation to free the University from paying a $475,000 bonus that would have been due to him in February. Christopher Kennedy, who had taken over as Board chairman, said of White, "He is a class act and I think his decision today will contribute to his reputation." In accepting White's resignation, the Board named as a temporary replacement Stanley Ikenberry. Ikenberry had been president at the university from 1979 through 1995.At White's final Board of Trustees meeting on November 11, 2009, he shared a September 24, 2009 letter from Judge Abner J. Mikva
Abner J. Mikva
Abner Joseph Mikva is a Democratic former U.S. Representative, federal judge and law professor from Chicago.-Biography:Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mikva attended the University of Chicago Law School, from which he graduated in 1951...
stating, "I was sad to learn that you are resigning as President of the University." Judge Mikva added, "Everything that came out during the investigation by the University of Illinois Admissions Review Commission that I headed indicated that you always had the best interests of the University as the basis for your actions." He concluded, "You are a person of great integrity and worthy of great respect." On January 21, 2010, the Board of Trustees appointed White President Emeritus of the University of Illinois. White also continued to assist the University's "Brilliant Futures" fundraising campaign. More than $1.71 billion of the campaign's $2.25 billion goal had been raised under White's leadership at the time of his resignation. White also retained his faculty position at the University.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has named Michael J. Hogan, formerly the president of the University of Connecticut, to succeed Ikenberry and become the permanent president of the University of Illinois.