U of I dean traded admission for scholarships

[July 09, 2009]  CHAMPAIGN -- A former University of Illinois Law School dean agreed to admit well-connected applicants pushed by Chancellor Richard Herman in exchange for $300,000 in scholarship money, according to documents newly released by the university.

The documents released late Wednesday indicate that Herman agreed to provide the Law School with the scholarship funds between 2004 and 2007.

In e-mails, then-Law School Dean Heidi Hurd complains in 2003 about pressure from then-Provost Herman to consider "special admits." She says she's working to limit such students and "extract payment" for those she can't keep out.

Hurd testified Wednesday before a special commission created by Gov. Pat Quinn to investigate admissions practices at the university's Urbana-Champaign campus.

[Associated Press]

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