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Chairman Shah resigns, Quinn close to cleaning house.

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[Posted by Mike Murray]

* U of I Board of Trustee Chairman Shah resigned on Monday in the wake of continuing fallout from the admissions scandal…

Niranjan Shah said in a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn that he decided to step down after members of a state commission investigating the admissions practices said they believed the trustees should resign.[…]

Quinn said Monday he accepted Shah’s resignation, which is effective in 90 days, or sooner if a successor is in place. He said the search for a successor would begin immediately.

* Shah is the second board member to resign, and pressure continues to mount for 6 of the remaining 7 members to follow suit. (The 7th member, Edward McMillan, only just joined the board in May) Quinn, however, might not give them the chance…

Sneed hears Gov. Quinn is this/close to cleaning out the detritus caused by the University of Illinois student admissions scandal. “He wants the students to return to a new fall semester at the university [Aug. 24],” said a source.

• • The buckshot: “The governor is this/close to using his eraser bigtime,” said a source, referencing the clout-wielding power of the university’s board of trustees.

* The Tribune believes the root of the scandal is much deeper then just the Board of Trustees itself…

But replacing the trustees doesn’t address the whole problem. More than half the applicants on the Category I list were sponsored by lawmakers, who horned in on the admissions process through the university’s lobbyists, not through the trustees. Herman and President B. Joseph White should have blocked both routes, but didn’t, which is just one reason why both should resign or be fired.

Firing the lawmakers is up to voters, though. We hope they’ll think long and hard about it. (You can check on your own legislator’s involvement by visiting the Tribune database at chicagotribune.com/requests.)

Purging the board of trustees won’t protect the U. of I. as long as governors and lawmakers regard admission to the state’s flagship university as an entitlement of office. How the trustees are chosen is the least of our problems. We should worry more about choosing our elected officials.

We don’t know a lot of specifics in this case, and I am not saying that unethical use of ‘clout’ did not happen with some or all of the U of I special admissions.

Sure, some politicians may have offered their recommendation as part of a quid-pro-quo. Much of the time, however, a letter of recommendation is simply a legitimate and normal constituent service.

I interned in a U.S. Congressional Office in 2007, and one of my duties was to write letters of recommendations for constituents (for college applications, military training programs, etc.). In no way was I involved in unethical clout peddling.

* Related…

* Dump the trustees and bring back Chief Illiniwek

posted by Mike Murray
Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:05 am

Comments

If they get rid of Dr. Ken Schmidt, MD as a Trustee, it would be a shame. He is an outstanding Trustee who loves the U of I and works tirelessly with no pay for his Alma Mater.

Comment by Suburbs Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:08 am
They don’t get the benefit of the doubt after what they’ve done the last several years in springfield.

As a veteran of the legislative process you know that there are different kinds of ways to exert influence. One is having a congressional intern write a letter for an applicant to harvard where everyone has such things, another is the corruption of an education system by a state with a reputation for such things.

Good work, Rich, who?

Comment by Shore Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:15 am
The concept of a letter of recommendation is to have an established, reputable pesron attest to the character of an applicant.

To have a politician, or staff member praise an individual they do not know seems like kind of a sham anyway.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:26 am
Suburbs, is that the same Ken Schmidt who pals around with Oscar D’Angelo?
All the trustees need to go and it looks like they will soon enough. Then the new Board should terminate all of the senior staff and officers that played a role in this shameful scandal.

Comment by This Is a Good Start Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:32 am
Does Quinn have the authority to fire the appointees? I guess he could ask for it and probably would recieve most, if not all, if he did, but I thought the appointments were term appointments once they were confirmed by the Senate?

Comment by Scooby Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:42 am
These guys are all volunteers. What’s their punishment? To not let them work for free anymore? That’ll teach them. Go ahead and fire the president and chancellor. Illinois has already made them rich and will continue to pay their pensions forever. Who’s the real losers here?
Much ado about nothing.
Any legislator should intervene on behalf of his constituents. If they don’t they should be voted out and replaced by someone who will try to help the residents of their districts.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 11:47 am
heh…. I have to admit, I love the comments that were made in the “Bring Back the Chief” editorial you linked to.

Chief Supporters - Bring back the Chief! It’s a matter of tradition and respect!
Chief Opponents - Nu-uh! It’s a symbol of racism.
Chief Supporters - You’re nothing more than a bunch of easily offending idiots!
Chief Opponents - Oh yeah? Well you’re just a bunch of racists.

To infinite….. even as a self-proclaimed Chief supporter, I’ve long gotten tired of this whole ordeal. I just want to have the opportunity to buy clothing with the Chief logo on it again…. is that really too much to ask for?

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 12:05 pm
The BOT should be elected. As I have said repeatedly, it does no good to replace Blago cronies with Quinn lackeys.

Herman & White should be fired.

Comment by Fire Ron Guenther Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 12:08 pm
I have no problem if a legislator writes a letter of recommendation for a student or makes a call to check on an application, as long as it’s done for all their constituents (or those meeting some objective criteria such as ACT score, etc.) But if they do more for the kids of their donors or friends, it crosses the line.

Comment by Rick Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 12:47 pm
Mike, can you write me a letter of recommendation on Rich’s behalf? I’ll definitely buy you both a drink next time I see you if you do.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 12:58 pm
David Dorris needs to stay, he has the university in the forefront of anything he does. Heck, his own son didn’t get into the law school so you know he hasn’t pulled any strings

Comment by Alumni Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 1:11 pm
The BOT needs to go yesterday. They didn’t just make an inquiry or write a letter of support, they crossed the line. UNQUALIFIED candidates were let into programs because of $, patronage, and political sponsorship.

Many, many years ago, long before Rutan I asked a legislator who was a good friend of the family to check on a job application I had put in with the state. His answer was I can’t help you,that hiring is done through a merit board. Learned more about integrity in that coversation than many others I had over the years.

I’ve said it before. In my experience the U of I board is is exactly how Blago hires and appointments have behaved from day one. They just don’t get it and never will. Governor Quinn get rid of them. All of them.

Comment by Leave a Light on George Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 1:39 pm
Suburbs, don’t go too far with the praise for the good Dr. Schmidt. As Good Start notes above, he has a host of “interesting” friends, including a couple nicknamed in Federal documents as the “Rabbi” and the “Pope.” He is definitely part of the problem and needs to go.

Admissions is the tip of a large iceberg just waiting for the U.S. Fitzgerald to sail in and break up the ice.

From hinky personnel decisions (a “nationwide search” for UI CFO found John Stroger’s budget chief and Filan pal to be the top candidate) to really hinky real estate deals (close, but not quite as bad as the infamous 80’s hotel deals) White and Herman created their own little Blagoland over in Urbana. They deserve the same fate as Rod.

Mike, I have to agree that elected official letters of recommendation are a) innocuous and b) not part of this problem.

Oh, and please, let’s keep the Chief out of this mess.

PS: Nice job running the show today, Mike.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 1:43 pm
“I interned in a U.S. Congressional Office in 2007, and one of my duties was to write letters of recommendations for constituents (for college applications, military training programs, etc.). In no way was I involved in unethical clout peddling.”

So glad you wrote this. The sanctimony, accusations against all of these VOLUNTEER trustees without any facts coming from Quinn and the newspapers is sickening. In my opinion, this story was missed…it was always about Blago’s strong arm influence over a school beholden to the State Legislature for financial support….it should never been about the Trustees (sans Eppley) or the leadership of the University. Afterall, what were they to do……that is, even if “unqualified” students were even admitted.

Still no talk about affirmative action though??? Strange.

Comment by DuPage Moderate Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 1:55 pm
I can’t imagine that the trustees of UofI are the only trustees of any institution or state board that make ethically, at the very least, questionable requests and demands on the bodies they are empowered to oversee. You may be “a volunteer”, but the authority over policy and staff could lead to some eyebrow-arching activity I would guess.

Comment by Captain Flume Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 1:55 pm
When state budgets are tight, of course universities are going to fawn major contributors.

Private universities do this just as much. As I stated a few weeks ago, does anyone think Geoerge W. Bush got into Yale strictly on merit?

First fund higher ed as it needs to be, and then criticize the universities for their survival tactics if they are still in play afterwards.

Assume for a moment that you were making decisions at the U of I, and either the governor, the Speaker, or the chairman of the Higher Ed Appropriations Committee asked you to accept a student who was near but exactly at admissions level. Almost a third of students flunk or drop out now, so what difference does one borderline student make? Even if this is 10 - 15 students a years, I think that we all have more important issues at hand that we should be dealing with…if it is 10% of the freshman class, then we have a problem. But no one has alleged this scale of abuse.

Comment by Capitol View Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 2:13 pm
I find myself getting very tired of the constant vitriol on this topic. The university did exactly the type of social engineering that universities are duty-bound to perform. They identified an under-represented group in their student body. In the interest of a more diverse student body, they created an affirmative action program for this under-represented group (politically-connected, poor academic performers). Now the forces of bigotry have been marshaled, not only to stigmatize young people for no other reason than being a member of this group, but also to ridicule and shame the very public servants (board members, administrators, politicians, contributors) who worked tirelessly on behalf of the university to identify and promote opportunities for this group that they would not otherwise be able to take advantage of. Is this an appropriate outcome when a university tries to be socially responsible member of the global community?

[Before I get lambasted: If you cannot spot the irony dripping from this comment, I really don’t know how to help you.]

Comment by McLean Farmboy Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 2:36 pm
Frankly, I’m over the U of I story as it has bitten the shark at this point. Did the clout admission system need to be exposed? yes–absolutely. Did it require nearly 8 weeks of coverage? no, probably not.

I agree with Mike Murray. Bring Chief Illiniwek back!!!!

Comment by Oh Pluuuuuze!!!! Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 3:25 pm
Excuse me, but, as I’ve said before, it’s the University Administration–B.Joseph and his Chancellors–that need to go. It’s there job to say control admissions and if some one needs to say “no” to improper clout they are getting paid the really big $$$ to do so. Trustees are simply doing what anyone else would do for friends or family–it may be questionable, but it’s up to the guardians of the University–the President and the Chancellors–to serve and protect!!

Comment by Abe's Ghost Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 3:56 pm
Oh Puleez - 8 weeks? Try 12. The Tribune screamed so loudly on this one even Morton Downey, Jr. rolled over in his grave.

Mike - you make the point about the Congressional letters. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t one of the required elements for admission to West Point a letter from the state’s US Senators?

Great job this week Mike, BTW. I think Tribune’s handling of the clout story is a bigger scandal than the clout list itself.

Clearly Richard Herman should go, he needs to fall on the sword he’s the one who created the Cateory I and bullied his deans into following his orders. If Quinn and the Tribune forde us to lose Joe White it would be a major injustice in all of this. White is a great college President and he’s going great things at U of I.

Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 4:33 pm
whose house is Quinn going to clean - he can’t even take care of cleaning out Blagojevich’s leftovers, particularly the ones who bought their position.

Comment by this voter will remember Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 4:58 pm
Slightly off topic but hope I’ll be permitted. I just read an article in an online publication called Praire State Outdoors. It was about the retirement of a well respected,long time DNR administrator (38 yrs) by the name of Mike Conlin. Go to the article and scroll down to his words about staffing at that agency. Here is a small quote:

“Yet oddly enough, DNR executive staff has grown. Director Miller’s staff includes an assistant director, an assistant to the director and two deputy directors. Conlin said as many as 23 people attend executive meetings, a number he thinks should be cut to five.

“There’s no way a fat executive staff can live off a lean field staff,” he said. “It’s ridiculous right now. There’s so much fat and you never see it cut at the top.”

Time to fumigate Governor Q.

Comment by Leave a Light on George Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 5:21 pm
What about all the coaches that get athletes in based on their ability to play a sport not on academics? Will that get addressed? NO! What about alumni that give big donations will that get addressed? NO!

Comment by curious Tuesday, Aug 4, 09 @ 7:58 pm