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 Eppley sent Gov. Pat Quinn a letter, obtained by The Associated
Press, that says he will step down in 90 days or as soon as a
successor is appointed. He called on fellow trustees to do the same,
and one said he hadn't ruled it out.
"As the ultimate body of governance and leadership of this
university, the trustees must help maintain the confidence of our
shareholders, who in this case are the people of Illinois," Eppley
wrote. "Just as in the corporate world, shareholders' lack of
confidence in an organization justifies effecting changes."
Eppley, criticized for pushing candidates recommended by ousted Gov.
Rod Blagojevich, also called for unnamed administrators to accept
responsibility for the admissions uproar at the university.
"While the trustees are, in the end, responsible for the overall
governance of the university, it is also important that the public
has confidence and trust in the campus administrators who bear
responsibility for the day-to-day decisions that have impacted the U
of I in these circumstances," Eppley wrote.
Eppley did not immediately return a call for comment. His office
voice mail indicated he will be away until early August.
"I thank him for his years of service and wish him well," Quinn
said in a statement accepting Eppley's resignation. "The search for
his successor will begin immediately." A Quinn spokeswoman declined
further comment.
Quinn appointed a commission to investigate the role of political
power in university admissions after news reports revealed that the
school's Urbana-Champaign campus keeps a list of politically
connected applicants, some of whom were admitted to the school
despite lackluster credentials.
The list, known as Category I, and thousands of pages of e-mails and
other documents released by the university reveal that lawmakers and
university trustees, Eppley included, often inquired about
well-connected applicants.
Trustee Robert Vickery said late Tuesday he hadn't ruled out
resigning but would wait for the commission's report -- due by Aug.
8 -- to make a decision. Vickrey said he hadn't talked to Eppley
about his decision but said Eppley should shoulder much of the
responsibility after serving as trustees board chairman from 2003
through 2008.
"He was chairman for six years, and he becomes responsible for
all things good and bad that happened on his watch," said Vickrey, a
LaSalle business owner who was appointed to the board by Gov. George
Ryan in 2001.
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 Other trustees did not return calls seeking comment.
Rep. Mike Boland, the East Moline Democrat who chairs the General
Assembly Higher Education Committee, said the remaining trustees,
with the exception of recent Quinn appointee Ed McMillan, should
follow Eppley's example.
"That was the honorable thing to do," said Boland, who has called
for Quinn to remove trustees if they don't resign. According to university documents, Eppley e-mailed university
President B. Joseph White about candidates supported by Blagojevich,
who reappointed Eppley to the board in 2007. Ryan first named Eppley
a trustee, in 2001.
One of those candidates was a relative of convicted influence
peddler Tony Rezko, a central figure in Blagojevich corruption
investigation. The applicant initially was going to be denied
admission but was admitted in 2005.
Eppley has said he did not know Rezko or know or who he was when he
e-mailed White about Blagojevich's interest.
In testimony in early July before the commission examining
admissions, university Chancellor Richard Herman said he felt
pressured to admit candidates backed by trustees, particularly
Eppley.
Eppley, in his own testimony, said he now recognizes that inquiries
made by trustees, lawmakers and other powerful figures served as an
"underground recommendation system," something he said he didn't
fully realize until recently.
In his letter, Eppley said university administrators "should put the
university first and assume responsibility for their roles in the
matter."
Neither White nor Herman could be reached for comment Tuesday.
[Associated Press; By DAVID MERCER]
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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