Former U of I Administrators Say Alumni Association Should Choose Majority of Trustees

Four former presidents and chancellors of the University of Illinois are calling for a change in how members are appointed to the university's board of trustees.

The four, led by former U of I president Stanley Ikenberry, made their recommendation in a letter to the Illinois Admissions Review Commission, which is investigating charges that under-qualified students gained admission based on political influence. In many cases, the pressure to admit the students came from trustees.

Ikenberry says that the roots of the problem lie in having all university trustees selected by the governor. "I think that makes the university vulnerable," he says, "and I think it removes the checks and balances that would otherwise be important to healthy university governance."

In the letter, Ikenberry, former president James Stukel and former Urbana campus chancellors Morton Weir and Michael Aiken suggest a long-term solution. They argue that the U of I Alumni Association should elect six of the nine trustees on the U of I board in a "fair and transparent" manner, with only three selected by the governor. Ikenberry says many universities, such as Penn State, give alumni associations such appointment powers.

The Admissions Review Commission was scheduled to hear from three U of I trustees Tuesday afternoon --- David Dorris, Kenneth Schmidt and former chairman Lawrence Eppley.