Several new faces will be present for today’s University of Illinois Board of Trustees meeting. Seven of the nine board members were appointed in recent weeks during the aftermath of the school’s admissions scandal.
Topping the board’s agenda will be organization. Not surprising, considering the turnover that’s occurred this summer. Matters like choosing a chairman are some of the tasks that await the new trustees.
Governor Pat Quinn, an ex officio member of the board, plans to show up and take part in the meeting today.
Trustees are likely to consider a resolution that promises to correct the admissions process by making it fairer and more transparent.
Still unclear is the fate of the University’s President Joseph White and Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Richard Herman. Both have faced criticism for pressuring admissions staff to accept students with political and other clout heavy connections. It’s considered unlikely White and Herman’s futures will be decided today, although the board’s agenda calls for a period of closed session in which the topic could come up.
Along with the new members, two holdover trustees, Frances Carroll and James Montgomery, refused to resign and remain on the board.