UI President B. Joseph White officially submitted his resignation today. He will step down on December 31, 2009. The following includes excerpts from a news release published today by the University:

University of Illinois President B. Joseph White will resign as the 16th president of the university effective Dec. 31 of this year, but he will remain involved with the University in roles that include fundraising and teaching. The Board of Trustees is expected to consider an interim appointment to lead the University during a search for a new president.

White submitted his letter of resignation Wednesday to Board of Trustees Chair Christopher G. Kennedy, who accepted it for consideration by the full Board. White, 62, has served since January 2005 as president of the University, which educates 70,000 students at campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield.

Kennedy said the Board is expected to act on White’s resignation and the appointment of an interim president at a special meeting to be scheduled within weeks. The Board’s next regular scheduled meeting is Nov. 12 in Springfield. Kennedy said a search committee of trustees, faculty, students, alumni and others will be named soon to recruit the next permanent president of the University of Illinois, with the intention of having a new president in place by the start of the 2010-11 academic year.

“The University of Illinois is a nationally ranked, world-class university. Because of its outstanding reputation and renowned faculty, we anticipate a great deal of interest in the position of president by highly qualified candidates,” Kennedy said.

…

Kennedy responded to White as chair of the Board to accept the resignation. He commended White for acting in the best interests of the University and for providing “exemplary” service as a leader of the $2.25 billion “Brilliant Futures” fundraising campaign the University and its foundation launched in 2007. White said he will continue to play a role in the capital campaign.

Read the entire release here: http://www.uillinois.edu/our/news/2009/Sept23.Announcement.cfm

According to the News-Gazette, “former UI President Stanley Ikenberry said today he’s been approached about serving as interim University of Illinois president after President B. Joseph White steps down.” The decision for interim president is expected to be made during the November 12th Board of Trustees meeting.

Ikenberry has been approached on interim presidency – News-Gazette

For more information on the issue, check out the following links:

President White’s letter to Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher G. Kennedy, Sept. 23 [PDF]

Chairman Kennedy’s response to President White, Sept. 23 [PDF]

President White’s September 14, 2009, statement to the Urbana Faculty Senate, Sept. 14 [PDF]

Governor Pat Quinn announced this morning that UI President B. Joseph will resign.

Quinn says President B. Joseph White let him know that his resignation is imminent. White has been at the center of the controversy over reports that the university admitted politically connected students over more qualified applicants

Quinn on Wednesday said it is time for the university to move on. He says White’s resignation will help clear the air over the admissions scandal, but he adds that he didn’t pressure White to resign.

This comes a week after the Faculty Senate approved a resolution supporting the removal process of White and Chancellor Richard Herman from office. It is unclear when the resignation will take place, possibly today.

Stay tuned to The Quad for more information.

Quinn: UI president to resign – News-Gazette

University of Illinois Trustee Niranjan Shah has resigned as of Monday in response to the U of I admissions scandal.

In a letter Monday to Gov. Pat Quinn, Shah said he is “not in public service for self-aggrandizement and therefore have no interest in a protracted process regarding my role” in the admissions scandal that has plagued the university.

The governor issued a statement Monday afternoon accepting the resignation.

News-Gazette: UI trustees Chairman Niranjan Shah resigns from board

University of Illinois trustee Lawrence Eppley has resigned today in response to the UIUC admissions scandal. Eppley was chair of the board of trustees from 2003 through 2008.

“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.

News-Gazette: UI trustee Eppley resigns, urges others to do the same

The University of Illinois Alumni Association recently posted a letter about their take on the admissions issues happening recently.

… Ours is a university that counts among its faculty and alumni 22 Nobel Prize winners and 20 Pulitzer Prize recipients. Its professors and alumni have invented or discovered the transistor, the LED, the integrated circuit and a third form of life. It is a university honored for its work in agriculture and the arts, campus internationalization, study abroad programs, disability resources and community engagement, to name a few.

The investigation into admissions practices at the University of Illinois is unfortunate but necessary. However, let us remember that this institution remains world-class, a university of which its alumni and the people of Illinois should continue to be proud.

Full text: News-Gazette: UI Alumni Association statement on admissions

As we hear about all these admissions stories, one viewpoint is interesting. The University of Illinois is funded by one of the most corrupt states in the nation. To continue to be a top-tier institution, we must have continued support and funding from the state government. So, we must play the political game.

Here’s what I learned: Corruption is embedded in our state’s political culture. Don’t try to cure it. Don’t try to fight it. Instead learn to play the game. Players who squeeze the most stuff for themselves out of their fellow taxpaying citizens win.

Chicago Tribune: Odd Lessons

On another note, Illinois Musicians Make Didgeridoos

Today Gov. Quinn has appointed an independent commission to review admission practices at the University of Illinois.

Quinn says the panel will look at the criteria used to judge applicants and investigate any instances of favorable consideration given to politically-connected student.

Quinn appoints panel to examine UI admissions

There is also an interesting story in the News-Gazette about what legislators actually asked for the University to grant exceptions for students.

The admissions policy at the University of Illinois has recently come into question due to a Chicago Tribune investigation.

Since 2005, about 800 undergraduate students have landed on the clout list for the Urbana-Champaign campus. It’s unknown how many would qualify for entry on their own, but their acceptance rate is higher than average. For the 2008-09 school year, for example, about 77 percent were accepted, compared with 69 percent of all applicants.

That’s in spite of the fact that patronage candidates, as a group, had lower average ACT scores and class ranks than all admitted students, records show.

Read the entire article here.