To: All Faculty <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "President B. Joseph White" <presidentwhite@uillinois.edu>
Reply-To: presidentwhite@uillinois.edu

 Subject: MASSMAIL - Admissions

May 29, 2009

To:      Members of the University of Illinois Community
 
From:    B. Joseph White
 
Re:      Admissions
 
  There is a story in the Chicago Tribune today about the admissions 
process at the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois.  I 
have several observations about this process and the Tribune story that I 
want to share with you.
 
  First and most important, all admissions to the University of Illinois 
should be based on merit. There will be many inquiries and expressions of 
support and interest for applicants, including from powerful people, but 
it is our job to manage a merit-based system and not succumb to 
pressure.  
 
  Second, it is the case that we track inquiries and expressions of 
interest in particular applicants by key alumni, political officials, 
trustees and others--as does every highly selective institution.  This 
was the case at the University of Michigan, where I spent 25 years, and 
at Georgetown University, where I served on the board of directors.  This 
is good admissions management and a necessary courtesy to these 
individuals.  Tracking these admissions cases does not and should not 
translate into inappropriate pressure for admission, nor should it infer 
that any pressure would be tolerated.  
 
  Third, the Tribune makes no assertion that unqualified individuals were 
admitted to the University.  This must always be the case.  In addition, 
if we have had a problem with inappropriate pressures for admission from 
well-connected people, numbers from the Tribune article suggest it is a 
small one which does not corrupt the admissions system and which we can 
quickly correct.  Specifically, there were about 26,000 applications to 
the Urbana campus this year.  About 18,000 applicants were admitted using 
the 69% admissions rate cited in the article.  The 160 "I list" 
applicants had a 77% admissions rate, according to the Tribune. This 
translates into the admission of 13 more applicants on the Category I 
list admissions rate versus the standard rate.  
 
  The University of Illinois depends on the trust of the people of 
Illinois.  I think that trust is deserved.  To the extent we have had 
instances of admissions officers or others experiencing and succumbing to 
inappropriate pressure for admission of less qualified over more 
qualified candidates, this is a problem that we can and will correct.
 
Joe
 
B. Joseph White
President
University of Illinois

This mailing approved by:
The Office of the President

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