Weak but connected Ill. students admitted

CHICAGO, July 7 (UPI) -- A top University of Illinois official says he's sorry politically connected students with weak academic credentials have been admitted to the college.

Testifying Monday before a state commission investigating U of I admissions abuses, Chancellor Richard Herman said he "deeply regrets" the special treatment given to certain students and called for reforms to the university's secret admissions system, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"I deeply regret that and firmly believe the system for handling external inquiries must be reformed," said Herman, the top administrator of the Urbana-Champaign campus since 2005, adding, "We have to fix it."

At the hearing, Herman also admitted seeking jobs for graduates of the university's ailing law school in a bid to improve its placement rate, the newspaper said.

The Tribune said investigators focused on Herman's role in admitting an unqualified law school applicant who was supported by then Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2006.