At University Of Illinois, Faculty Upset About Preferential Admissions

In recent years, several reporters have written books about preferential treatment in college admissions. At many American universities, the children of well-connected alumni have an advantage. Likewise, students who play sports -- or the oboe, famously -- may have a better shot than those who don't.

NPR's Cheryl Corley, based in Chicago, reports on a movement at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to change the way the admissions office works. "An independent panel confirmed the school kept a 'clout list' of politically connected students, and some who didn't meet admissions standards were admitted," she says. Faculty leaders have called for the removal of Joseph White, the university's president, and Richard Herman, its chancellor.

The governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, hasn't minced words. In his estimation, it is "the worst university scandal we have ever had in the state of Illinois."

According to Corley, "faculty leaders say the concept of clout, influencing admissions, isn't unique to the University of Illinois, but its scope grew at the school in recent years." Quinn has reconfigured the school's board of trustees. In September, they will oversee a review of all university administrators.