Unqualified Law Student Admitted in Exchange for Promise of 5 Jobs
The most prestigious Illinois public university took another hit to its reputation Thursday when it released e-mail messages that show an unqualified, but politically connected law student was admitted to the University of Illinois in exchange for a promise that other students would find gainful employment upon graduation.
The documents—released by U of I as part of an unfolding newspaper and state investigation of clout-heavy admissions at the university—show for the first time that favors were sought in order to accept unqualified students, aka “special admits,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
One message shows that U of I Chancellor Richard Herman forced the law school to admit a student connected to now-impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich. As part of the admissions deal, it was agreed that five other law school graduates would get jobs.
The Tribune printed the following exchange between Herman and Law School Dean Heidi Hurd, who at first balked at the 2006 admission:
Herman in his reply wrote, “Straight from the G. My apologies. Larry has promised to work on jobs (5). What counts?”
Hurd next: “Only very high-paying jobs in law firms that are absolutely indifferent to whether the five have passed their law school classes or the bar.”
The messages suggest that the law school was trying to secure jobs for students who were at the bottom of the school’s class. And there’s a question about whether the promised slots were meant to boost the law school’s rankings, which depend in part on job placement.
Release of the latest round of messages will surely be fodder for a state commission convened by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. The governor has called on retired federal judge Abner Mikva to head a commission to investigate politically related admissions.
The scandal was revealed by a Chicago Tribune investigation that discovered more than 800 undergraduates in the past five years received special consideration at the school because of political connections.
Previous coverage on ABAJournal.com:
Fed Probe of Ex-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich Now Includes State Universities
Law Dean’s E-Mail Shows Distaste for Clout-Heavy Admissions Decisions
