University of Illinois President B. Joseph White put out a statement today about the state probe into the school’s admission process that sometimes favored well-connected students with subpar academic credentials.

“Our goal as a University is to fully air the problems with our current admissions practices so that we can take corrective action and ensure public confidence in our admissions process going forward,” White says in the statement.

He added that the university is “committed to having a fair and transparent admissions process that is free from inappropriate interference and pressures.”

The statement comes in the midst of an admissions review panel’s hearings into the university’s admissions process. Gov. Pat Quinn formed the panel. A number of current and former university administrators have already testified about various problems, which included granting admission to some students upon the urging of board members or political officials with questionable academic qualifications.

The Chicago Tribune, which first wrote about the so-called clout list of connected applicants, has been covering the day-to-day developments of this story, including the testimony from the hearings. Click here to read their coverage.

I am pasting White’s statement here below.

July 8, 2009

U of I President: Corrective Action on Admissions Promised

Restates commitment to fair, transparent process

At the direction of the Board of Trustees, I write to convey a message to the University of Illinois community and the people of Illinois about the admissions matters currently under examination by the Admissions Review Commission (ARC) chaired by Judge Abner Mikva.

The Board of Trustees and the Administration are resolved to continue to treat these problems with the seriousness they warrant. As Chancellor Richard Herman recognized in his testimony before the Commission, problems exist with the University’s current admissions practices that must be corrected. The University will continue to fully cooperate with the Commission to enable ARC members to fulfill their mission as chartered by Governor Pat Quinn. In recent weeks, the University has provided the Commission and the media with more than 5,000 pages of relevant documents in response to Freedom of Information Act and other requests. Witnesses have come forward, as requested by the Commission, for interviews with the ARC’s staff and for formal testimony before the Commission.

Our goal as a University is to fully air the problems with our current admissions practices so that we can take corrective action and ensure public confidence in our admissions process going forward. As the ARC continues its work, the Board of Trustees and administration of the University continue our own examination of our admissions practices as well as those at peer institutions for the purpose of identifying best practices and ideas for improvement. We will share them with the Commission for its consideration.

We are committed to having a fair and transparent admissions process that is free from inappropriate interference and pressures. Our admissions process must enable us to compete successfully with peer institutions in attracting students who will compose outstanding classes for our colleges and schools. That is my commitment as president of the University and it is the mandate of the Board of Trustees.

I look forward to testifying before the Commission in the days ahead. I am grateful to Judge Mikva and members of the ARC for serving the state in this important capacity.

The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday.com/thegrade.