University of Illinois Removes Website Data on Incoming Law Class, Probes Possible Inaccuracies
Updated: The University of Illinois has removed data on its website about the grades and test scores of its incoming law class because the information may have been inaccurate.
The university has hired Theodore Chung of Jones Day in Chicago to investigate, according to a press release and the Champaign News-Gazette. The information—about grade point averages and median Law School Admission Test scores for the class of 2014—was on the website and in promotional publications.
U of I acted after its ethics office received information on Aug. 26 about possible inaccuracies. The suspect data was not sent to the American Bar Association, school spokesman Tom Hardy told the News-Gazette.
An assistant dean for law school admissions has been placed on leave as the university conducts the investigation. The university did not identify the assistant dean, but a person answering the phone in the admissions office told the Champaign News-Gazette that assistant dean Paul Pless is on “temporary leave.”
U of I’s law school was in a three-way tie for 23rd place in the most recent rankings by U.S. News & World Report, earning it a spot on the important top 25 list, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Updated on at 1:25 p.m. to include new information from the News Gazette on the assistant dean placed on leave.
