Admissions Commission Members Aim for August 8th Report

Members of the Admissions Review Commission have at least one more hearing before they write their recommendations to Governor Pat Quinn.

Retired Judge Abner Mikva heads the commission. He says any report will have to be a consensus of the seven com missioners. He stops short of saying the report could recommend the firing of trustees or administrators.

"Our mission is to do something about the admissions process,and I think one of our jobs in writing the report is not to stray...that we have no power beyond that was given to us by the executive order, Mikva said after the hearing. "I think that we ought to make sure that we're not trying to solve all the problems Illinois has. And I have quite a list!" Mikva joked.

Mikva says he was concerned by the presidents' comments that recent trustees considered the University as just another state agency, instead of an independent institution. He hopes U of I officials make policy changes that make people comfortable that admissions are based on merits.

The commission's next hearing is Wednesday - they're scheduled to hear from state senator Chris Lauzen of Aurora, but member Z Scott hopes other lawmakers agree to speak.