UC Davis Chancellor
“New e-mails released by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggest that Provost Linda Katehi - who arrives as chancellor of UC Davis next month - knew of and may have played a role in at least one of the improper “clout admissions” under investigation in that state.
Katehi, who has overseen admissions at the university since 2006, has repeatedly denied knowing anything about the secretive admissions known as “Category 1″ that has led to about 800 underqualified but well-connected applicants being admitted to the flagship Illinois campus.
The e-mails, however, suggest a train of influence in which Katehi made inquiries and forwarded information about a wait-listed student after a political figure in Illinois contacted her about the applicant. When the student got in, Katehi pronounced the decision via e-mail as “excellent.”
Over the weekend, Katehi, who is traveling in Greece, reiterated to UC President Mark Yudof in an e-mail that she had “absolutely no role in the admissions decisions regarding so-called Category 1 admissions.”
President remains confident
Regarding the latest disclosures, Katehi told Yudof in a note that “all I did was inquire as to the status of the student’s application, and nothing more. I took no action and made no effort to alter, influence or interfere with the admissions decision of this applicant.”
In an earlier interview with The Chronicle, Katehi said she was neither aware of the special admissions nor informed of them.
“At this point, I haven’t seen anything that would cause me to lose confidence in Dr. Katehi,” Yudof said Monday.
But state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, continued his call for a halt to the appointment of Katehi, who as chancellor will earn $400,000 plus a house and other benefits. He urged Yudof to convene a review panel to look into the matter.
“With all due respect to Dr. Katehi, the story and answers she’s giving are just not believable,” Yee said. “She cannot claim she doesn’t know about these categories of privileged individuals, when in fact she directed a staff member to look into one of the applications.”
Early in 2008, Katehi received an e-mail from the campaign manager to the Illinois state treasurer providing information about a wait-listed applicant.
Katehi forwarded the application to the vice provost, asking for a status report. She described the student as “the daughter of a fairly prominent Greek family in Chicago.”
Specialty admissions uproar
Katehi, the treasurer and the campaign manager are all Greek Americans, as was the applicant, an heiress to a Chicago chocolate fortune, according to the Chicago Tribune, which broke the story of the specialty admissions in May and has continued its series as the state has investigated the scandal.
The newspaper said a Greek Orthodox priest had originally contacted the state treasurer’s office asking for help on behalf of the young heiress, whose name has been redacted from the university’s e-mails.
Some of the e-mails about the applicant are labeled “Cat 1,” indicating the category for special admissions. Applicants in this group had lower test scores but were admitted at higher rates than other applicants, according to the Tribune investigation.
‘Late decision’ admission
Eventually, in an e-mail copied to Katehi, Vice Provost Ruth Watkins suggested that the applicant be admitted under “late decision” - a method often used to slip underqualified applicants under the radar.
When Katehi received an e-mail informing her that the applicant in question would be admitted, she wrote, “Excellent.”
Katehi is to arrive at UC Davis on Aug. 17.”
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