One of the nation’s most elite law schools is being scrutinized after discoveries of grade inflation have come to light. Official at the University of Illinois College of Law are responding to a report that was released Monday by the university indicating that for several years, assistant dean Paul Pless inflated grades and entrance exam scores for incoming students for data that was posted online.
An investigative team was hired in September after complaints that information regarding the class of 2014 was inaccurate. The team, an outside law firm and data analysis company, found that in six of the 10 years they reviewed, inaccuracies were discovered. Additionally, the inaccurate data were forwarded to the American Bar Association as well as other influential organizations like the U.S. News & World Report.
Pless was placed on administrative leave and has since resigned.
“The college takes seriously the issue of data integrity and intends to implement the report’s recommendations promptly and comprehensively,” Dean Bruce Smith said in a statement. “As the report properly recognizes, the College of Law remains one of the nation’s premier law schools. We are confident that we will justify that assessment with data that are accurate, transparent and unimpeachable.”
