In today's Chicago Tribune: Ex-dean Calls Herself "Victim" of Admissions Scandal; After Testimony on University of Illinois Abuses, Heidi Hurd Left Message Praising Chancellor She Had Criticized, by Stacy St. Clair:
A former University of Illinois law school dean has made a final effort to distance herself from an admissions scandal, writing a lengthy letter to the state panel charged with investigating the practices.
Heidi Hurd — who testified before the Illinois Admission Review Commission nearly a month ago — sent a 15-page letter late last week in which she describes herself as a "victim" of the school's clout lists, not a "perpetrator," and details her efforts to push back against them.
She also supports her earlier assertions that Chancellor Richard Herman and public officials abused their power when they forced her to admit subpar students.
Commissioners will weigh the letter against a voice mail message Hurd left on Herman's home phone shortly after she testified. University attorneys turned over the message to the commission, officials said. According to a transcript, Hurd refers to Herman as a "knight in shining armor" and says she remains his "most ardent admirer.
