Niranjan Shah, University Of Illinois Board Of Trustees Chair, Resigns

CHICAGO — The chairman of the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees resigned Monday amid an investigation into the use of political clout to get underqualified students into the school.

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.

Shah is the second trustee to do so, after former chairman Lawrence Eppley quit last week.

"I am not in public service for self-aggrandizement and therefore have no interest in a protracted process regarding my role," Shah wrote. "My interest is solely in the vitality of the University of Illinois."

The school's flagship campus at Champaign-Urbana has been at the center of a storm since the Chicago Tribune reported in May that the school maintained a list of politically connected students, known as Category I. The newspaper said some underqualified members of the list were admitted under pressure from former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, university trustees and others.

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 had been accused of pushing to admit certain applicants and arranging for his future son-in-law to work for the school. Shah has denied trying to admit relatives to the school or being pressured by public officials to support certain applicants.

Chancellor Richard Herman and university President B. Joseph White did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Quinn appointed the Illinois Admissions Review Commission after the Category I list became public. Commission member Bernard Judge of Chicago said he was glad Shah resigned.

"I think he did the university a favor by resigning now," Judge said. "It will end any further need to seek his resignation."

The panel's final report is due this week.

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On the Net:

Illinois Admissions Review Commission: http://admissionsreview.illinois.gov/

Comments

[zigzag1]

Was involved in fundraising at U of I years ago and there was no preference ever given to anyone for donations or politics. This is a sad situation and is an indication of the greed that permeates our culture.

[skeptical1]

The Illinois political system is corrupt and so are most of it's agencies and institutions. The U of I has been criticized for admitting more out of state students at the expense of qualified in state applicants. With politicians like Mike Madigan interfering in the selection process, it would seem that big donors or those who work a precinct will be the only students allowed in if this process evolves to its logical conclusion.

[IUAlumna]

Here's the thing. You can be admitted because you or your family Knows Someone, but you get your grades based upon your own performance. I can't get worked up about The Horror, as the real world runs on a system in which Who You Know often matters far more than your GPA., and anyone who has ever been on a search committee knows that the idea of The Best Person For The Job is a matter of grays, not blacks and whites.

Only a tiny percentage of students were admitted this way, btw, despite the public outcry.

[mamala4]

You may not get worked up over it, but what about students with 30 or above on the ACT's, are in the top 15% of their class, great extracurricular resumes that get rejected, while other classmates with 23's and 24's, in the top 40% of their class get accepted....if I were one of the former students, I would be worked up....it happens EVERYDAY at U of I...students who get into Ivies and get rejected at U of I....that too occurs....the whole U of I system is corrupt...even the high school college counselors acknowledge this...it's worth getting worked up about if you're a qualified student or a parent of one of those students who is struggling to put 3 kids through college at one time.

[Dr Manhattan]

Wow. Your post doesn't say much for quality of the students of U of I, especially in concerns of ethics.

[stepintothelight]

It's all affirmative action for those who need it the least!!!

[scorpioleidy]

I used to work for Mr. Shah at Globetrotters Engineering years ago. He is an amazing man.

[unstuffedshirt]

Amazingly bent.