To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff
           <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "President B. Joseph White" <presidentwhite@uillinois.edu>

Reply-To: presidentwhite@uillinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Admissions review

At the direction of the Board of Trustees, I write to convey a message to 
the University of Illinois community and the people of Illinois about the 
admissions matters currently under examination by the Admissions Review 
Commission (ARC) chaired by Judge Abner Mikva.

The Board of Trustees and the Administration are resolved to continue to 
treat these problems with the seriousness they warrant. As Chancellor 
Richard Herman recognized in his testimony before the Commission, problems 
exist with the University's current admissions practices that must be 
corrected. The University will continue to fully cooperate with the 
Commission to enable ARC members to fulfill their mission as chartered by 
Governor Pat Quinn. In recent weeks, the University has provided the 
Commission and the media with more than 5,000 pages of relevant documents 
in response to Freedom of Information Act and other requests. Witnesses 
have come forward, as requested by the Commission, for interviews with the 
ARC's staff and for formal testimony before the Commission. 

Our goal as a University is to fully air the problems with our current 
admissions practices so that we can take corrective action and ensure 
public confidence in our admissions process going forward. As the ARC 
continues its work, the Board of Trustees and administration of the 
University continue our own examination of our admissions practices as 
well as those at peer institutions for the purpose of identifying best 
practices and ideas for improvement. We will share them with the 
Commission for its consideration.

We are committed to having a fair and transparent admissions process that 
is free from inappropriate interference and pressures. Our admissions 
process must enable us to compete successfully with peer institutions in 
attracting students who will compose outstanding classes for our colleges 
and schools. That is my commitment as president of the University and it 
is the mandate of the Board of Trustees.

I look forward to testifying before the Commission in the days ahead. I am 
grateful to Judge Mikva and members of the ARC for serving the state in 
this important capacity. 
 

B. Joseph White
President
University of Illinois




This mailing approved by:
The Office of the President

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