U of I trustee resigns amid admissions probe

CHAMPAIGN -- University of Illinois trustee Lawrence Eppley offered his resignation Tuesday amid a growing scandal over the role of political influence in student admissions at the state's flagship system.

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.

"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.

Quinn appointed a commission to investigate the role of political power on university admissions after news reports revealed 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.

Eppley, the former board chairman, e-mailed university President B. Joseph White about candidates supported by Blagojevich, who appointed Eppley to the board in 2001.

One of those candidates was a relative of convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko, a central figure in Blagojevich corruption investigation. The applicant was initially 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 testimony to the commission Monday, former university President Stanley Ikenberry and James Stukel called for Eppley and most other trustees to resign or be removed.

Stukel called in particular for Eppley, current chair Niranjan Shah and Robert Vickrey to be removed, calling them products of the Blagojevich era and saying they were the board members most likely to make decisions with politics and power in mind.

Eppley, a graduate of the university's law school, was chair of the board of trustees from 2003 through 2008.