Clout List Goes To Law School

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 26, 2009 8:20PM

The Clout List scandal at the University of Illinois continues to grow beyond Ron Santo and undergrad. The Chicago Tribune reports that the law school at U of I admitted an unqualified student in return for promised jobs for outgoing graduates.

In one e-mail exchange, University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman forced the law school to admit an unqualified applicant backed by then- Gov. Rod Blagojevich while seeking a promise from the governor's go-between that five law school graduates would get jobs. The applicant, a relative of deep-pocketed Blagojevich campaign donor Kerry Peck, appears to have been pushed by Trustee Lawrence Eppley, who often carried the governor's admissions requests.

The Tribune report also outlines how Law School Dean Heidi Hurd fought against the special clout admissions. Still, the school is scrambling to cover their ass in the wake of this latest revelation. The Trib also has the emails available for perusal [PDF].