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University of Illinois chancellor resigns following months of pressure over admissions scandal

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman resigned Tuesday following months of pressure over special attention the school paid to politically connected applicants at its Urbana-Champaign campus and news that some were admitted over more qualified students.

Army to allow lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq to resign from service

HONOLULU — The Army is allowing the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to go to Iraq to resign from the service, his attorney said late Friday.

Navy secretary accepts Connecticut’s $7 million investment in Groton submarine base

GROTON, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell says the U.S. Navy has accepted plans for the state to invest more than $7 million for upgrades at the submarine base in Groton.

University of Illinois president at center of admissions scandal submits letter of resignation

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois President B. Joseph White resigned Wednesday following reports that the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified ones at its Urbana-Champaign campus.

Governor says University of Illinois president at center of admissions scandal to resign

CHICAGO — The president of the University of Illinois plans to resign following reports that the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified ones, Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday.

Faculty leaders at U of Illinois support removing top leaders amid admissions scandal

URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois Faculty Senate has voted on a resolution supporting the removal of President B. Joseph White and Chancellor Richard Herman from office in the wake of an admissions scandal at the school.

Researchers: To boost graduation rates, pupils should aim for harder colleges, not easier ones

Four years ago, two of the most influential researchers in higher education dove into a huge pool of data hoping to answer a bedeviling question: Why do so many students who start college fail to graduate?

From budget to university scandal, Illinois governor gaining reputation as indecisive

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — First, Gov. Pat Quinn demanded that the University of Illinois board of trustees resign over an admissions scandal. Then he gave them time to think it over. Then he set a deadline. Then he pushed back the deadline.

College-bound veterans find it’s back to basics as schools ignore years of military experience

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Twelve years of military service left Donald Spradling highly trained in satellite imagery, nuclear engineering and foreign intelligence analysis. None of that made a difference to the University of Missouri.

US Army captain accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes during time in Iraq

NEW YORK — A U.S. Army captain has been charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes while he was stationed in Iraq to steer more than $500,000 in contracts.

U. of Ill. president gives leaders 8 weeks to revamp admissions on 3 campuses after scandal

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois President B. Joseph White on Wednesday scrapped the school’s special admissions list of politically connected applicants and gave campus leaders eight weeks to take other measures to prevent future scandals over the influence of clout.

Key dates in the U. of Ill. admissions scandal

Events leading up to Thursday’s report from the Illinois Admissions Review Commission:

Illinois panel: University trustees should resign over politically connected admissions

CHICAGO — A panel investigating the role that clout played in University of Illinois admissions recommended in its final report released on Thursday that all trustees voluntarily submit their resignations and let Gov. Pat Quinn decide which ones to accept.

University of Illinois trustee chairman resigns amid investigation of admissions practices

CHICAGO — The chairman of the University of Illinois’ Board of Trustees resigned Monday amid an investigation into the use of political clout to get underqualified students into the school.

Judge to allow victims of Stanford fraud to be heard before exec’s plea deal accepted

HOUSTON — Individuals who believe they are victims of an alleged $7 billion fraud that prosecutors say was perpetrated by Texas financier R. Allen Stanford’s business empire will have a chance to tell their stories at a court hearing next month, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Economy, university tuitions prompt more college students to move to schools closer to home

SEATTLE — A few months ago, Rebecca Gottlieb faced a difficult choice: continue on at her $50,000-a-year private school in Massachusetts, or leave her new friends and life and enroll at a cheaper school near home in Washington.

Military academies see applications jump as tough economy pairs with stepped-up recruiting

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Applications have surged at the nation’s three top military academies as tough economic times coincide with stepped-up recruiting efforts by the Army, Navy and Air Force schools, making the prospect of free college and a steady job look sweeter.

Texas A&M regents accept president’s resignation, name Galveston campus head as interim chief

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M University named an interim president Monday, a day after the school’s first female and first Hispanic president stepped down following a scathing performance review of her first year on the job.

Panel to investigate admissions of politically connected students at University of Illinois

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed a state commission to investigate what some have called questionable admissions practices at the state’s largest public university.

In this economy, many high school grads can’t afford to go to their dream school

The wretched economy has taught many of the nation’s college-bound seniors a hard lesson: You can’t always get what you want.

Colleges’ dirty little secret: Well-connected applicants get special consideration

All college applications are equal. But some are more equal than others.

White man’s burden? Despite decades of reverse discrimination rulings, lawsuits still flourish

The issue of reverse discrimination first reached the nation’s highest court in the 1970s, when a student with good grades named Allan Bakke accused a University of California medical school of twice denying him admission because he was white.

Renewed debate in NJ over granting in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants

NEWARK, N.J. — Piash Ahamed has been living in New Jersey since legally emigrating from Bangladesh with his family as a child. He attended state public schools, graduated from high school at the top of his class and was accepted at Rutgers University.

Univ. of California’s new admissions policy angers Asians; they fear their numbers will drop

SAN FRANCISCO — A new admissions policy set to take effect at the University of California system in three years is raising fears among Asian-Americans that it will reduce their numbers on campus, where they account for 40 percent of all undergraduates.