Academia, Society

University of Illinois Censured and Fined By ABA For False Admissions Data

The University of Illinois College of Law has had a tough run in recent years. The school was hammered by an admissions scandal after it allegedly admitted unqualified or less competitive students to secure jobs or to please powerful politicians. Now it has been hit with a public censure and $250,000 fine by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar for intentionally reporting and publishing false admissions data in six out of the last 10 years.

In addition to the penalties, the law school has been ordered to issue a public statement of correction to be distributed to all ABA-approved law schools. It must also hire a compliance monitor to report on its admissions process and data for the next two academic years. Finally, the school must up a variance that allowed it to conduct an early-admissions program — a blow in competing for top students. The result is that an effort to enhance standing in rankings like that of U.S. News and World Report has now resulted in the tarnishing of the school’s image and a reduction of its ability to compete with other schools. I expect that the school will ultimately bounce back however. It is part of a very strong academic institution in one of the top legal markets in the country. It also has a loyal alumni and strong faculty.

Notably, it was the school itself that launched the investigation after discovering the discrepancies. It blamed Paul Pless, the law school’s former assistant dean for admissions, for the false reporting.

These blows to the school are obviously the fault of the administration at the law school and do not reflect upon the faculty or students generally. University of Illinois remains an excellent school with a gifted faculty. Moreover, this is a problem that has appeared at other schools as pressure builds in the increasing competitive ranking and recruitment for law schools. However, the report insisted “No matter what the competitive pressures, law schools must not cheat. The College of Law cheated.”

Source: ABA Journal

8 thoughts on “University of Illinois Censured and Fined By ABA For False Admissions Data”

  1. Finally, the school must up a variance that allowed it to conduct an early-admissions program — a blow in competing for top students. The result is that an effort to enhance standing in rankings like that of U.S. News and World Report has now resulted in the tarnishing of the school’s image and a reduction of its ability to compete with other schools. I expect that the school will ultimately bounce back however. It is part of a very strong academic institution in one of the top legal markets in the country. It also has a loyal alumni and strong faculty.
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    Too bad for them . It’s an accounting variance.

  2. Mike and Frankly,
    there is no way that the one person could cook the books when any knowing attorney or law professional knew of the nationwide loss of attorney jobs. Burying their collective heads in the sand is more like it.

  3. Mike – you see this time and again with CEOs who claim all the credit and get themselves huge payoffs when things look good. Then when it is discovered that the books were cooked they claim they had no idea and no way to know.

    Either they defrauded shareholders when they claimed they were in charge and responsible for the good returns or they were in control of the illegal activity but they can’t have it both ways.

  4. While the Administration certainly should have been more dilligent, never underestimate the power of one person to “cook the books” and get away with it for a long time. The people who sign off on such things rarely look at what they’re signing, especially if it puts them in a favorable light. We as a society put too much faith in those in authority, who we assume are exercizing good management oversight.

  5. this is beginning to look like modern day athletics, how can you compete when everyone around you is cheating? I guess you better cheat too.

    As for how many people could have known I am clueless; if all the numbers funneled through one persons office as long as nothing looked too out of whack the folks above might just accept them. Certainly people in that department might smell a rat but how many people are brave enough to risk their livelihood and raise suspicion? Someone more familiar with the workings of these college offices would have to explain this to me

  6. No way that just one man made this happened. The top administration had to be complicit in the mess. Sad situation. How many more are guilty of this?

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