Chancellor Herman Resigns

UI Chancellor Richard Herman announced his resignation today.

Herman’s decision follows an admissions probe that also forced the resignations of most University of Illinois trustees and President B. Joseph White.

Trustees are expected to meet later this week to consider the matter. The chancellor is expected to return to the faculty.

Herman’s departure means the UI will be searching for a new president, chancellor and provost, with a board of trustees composed mostly of new members.

In an Aug. 31 speech to the senate, Herman said he had considered resigning because of the admissions scandal but decided his accomplishments outweighed “my failings this summer.” He said he believed he didn’t have the power to “end a system that was long in the making and was ingrained in our state’s political culture.”

“I believed that the best I could do was shield others at the university from these behind-the-scenes maneuverings. I truly believed that I was serving the greater good of the university by doing something that, in retrospect, was sometimes not so good. I still believe that for all the hundreds of inquiries from well-connected people over many years, only a small percentage ended up being mishandled,” he said.

UI Chancellor Richard Herman resigns his position – News-Gazette

The following is a letter to the University that was send via MASSMAIL earlier today:

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

As you likely know, I have given the Board of Trustees my resignation.

It has been the great privilege of my life to serve for 11 years as your Provost and Chancellor. I will not reiterate the complicated and agonizing steps that have brought us to this place, except to say that I regret the circumstances. I’m confident that Illinois will be stronger for all that we have learned from the controversy. Ours is a great university–great because of its distinguished history; its brilliant, dedicated and hardworking faculty and staff; and its smart and idealistic students.

I am proud that many initiatives launched during my time will continue: the 100 new faculty excellence professors, the ethnic and multiracial studies programs, the Institute for Genomic Biology, and the Illinois Promise Program that has brought 700 students from low income families to campus with the promise that they will graduate debt-free. Yet I did none of this alone. We did it all together. We achieved great things on our watch because greatness is built into the bone and sinew of Illinois. Never doubt it. Always strive for it. And remember that great aspirations must always precede great achievements. The excellence and creativity long embedded in our university was always the source of my inspiration.

I thank all of you for helping to make Illinois better. I prepare to step down as Chancellor knowing that my contributions are left behind for others to build upon, as I built upon the contributions of those before me. It would be disingenuous for me not to acknowledge that my resignation pains me deeply. But I do not worry about the University of Illinois. Great institutions are stronger than any one person who leads them. And Illinois is a great institution. As I return to become a member of the faculty, I plan to do my small part to continue to contribute, and I know all of you will do the same.

At Illinois, as always, we will go onward and upward.

Sincerely,
Richard Herman

News release about Chancellor Herman’s resignation 
Chancellor Herman’s letter to Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher G. Kennedy [PDF]