Gov. Pat Quinn’s office confirmed Tuesday night that they have received a letter of resignation from University trustee David Dorris and are expecting Devon Bruce, Kenneth Schmidt and Robert Vickrey to follow suit.
Dorris submitted his resignation to Gov. Pat Quinn Tuesday morning, The Daily Illini confirmed.
“The best thing I could do is walk away from that job,” Dorris said.
Dorris said he had no guilt in the current admissions controversy at the University and wishes to be reappointed as a part of the board.
“The knee jerk reaction of the public is to get rid of all (the trustees),” Dorris said. “But there are troubles within that University. We have a leadership problem at the University that predates this.”
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Dorris is also calling for the removal of University President B. Joseph White, but said he believes Chancellor Richard Herman should remain in his job.
“It is absolutely crucial that we have a new University president,” Dorris said. “Everything he’s touched has been a disaster.”
Calls to White were not immediately returned.
“No one else is willing to stand up and say what needs to be said, but we need a change at the top,” Dorris added.
Dorris said that plans were already in motion to remove White from his top University leadership spot, but that may not happen with the disruption of the Board of Trustees.
Although, though e-mail records, Herman’s knowledge of the ‘Category I’ issue has been confirmed, Dorris said that the Chancellor’s body of work over his career at the University warrants his retention.
“Richard Herman did some things he shouldn’t have done,” Dorris said. “But I was there and I know what was being done, the pressure that was on him. His sin was he did not say no.”
Dorris said he has spoken to University trustees Kenneth Schmidt and Robert Vickrey and that they plan to resign in the next day or so. The two remaining trustees Francis Carroll and James Montgomery have said they will not resign.
