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Former Gov.'s Name Comes up At Hearing on College Admissions
Former Gov. Jim Thompson's name came up at Monday's Admissions Review Commission meeting in Chicago.

Abel Montoya, former associate director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told commissioners how the admission process worked at the college when he worked there.

Montoya testified that some applications were put into the "I" or "important" category, regardless of test scores and GPA, after a phone call or letter was received in support of that applicant. Montoya said the support could be from politicians, important alumni, and major donors.

Montoya said that he knew of at least one case where a former governor made a push to get his grandson into school. When pushed by commissioner Maribeth Vander Weele, Montoya said he had been told by his supervisor that Thompson's grandson was admitted because of Thompson's influence, although Montoya didn't know the extent of Thompson's personal involvement. A spokeswoman at the former governor's law firm says Thompson has no grandchildren.

Montoya is just one of several people expected to testify before the commission, which was created by Gov. Pat Quinn after it was revealed that some students were admitted to the school because of political clout regardless of their academic standings. The commission's report is due Aug. 8.

(Illinois Radio Network)
06 29 09 by Newsroom
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