In a final report released Monday, the University’s College of Law investigation named former dean of admissions Paul Pless at fault for the manipulation of GPA and LSAT scores in the annual class profile data released by the college.
In addition to misreporting median GPA and LSAT scores, the investigation also found that Pless had shaped acceptance rates lower than what was accurate. In the investigation’s previous status reports, the acceptance rates were not mentioned as a point of interest.
According to the report, Pless resigned from the University in the duration of the investigation. The report asserts that in Pless’ seven-year tenure as dean of admissions, the college “showed steady, and occasionally dramatic, improvement” in its statistics, which may have been a factor in its rankings among the top 25 U.S. law schools, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report.
Pless also garnered praise and pay raises due to his success, according to the report: his salary increased from $72,000 in his first year, 2004, to $130,051 in 2011.
The investigation began in late August when a complaint was made to the University Ethics Office. The complaint was then brought the the Office of Legal Counsel, which determined an investigation was necessary.
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Chicago-based law firm Jones Day and independent data analysis firm Duff & Phelps were hired to analyze the raw data originally sent from the Law School Admissions Council, or LSAC, to the College of Law. This data was compared to the data that was manipulated by Pless, and published by the College and sent to ranking institutions such as U.S. News and World Report, and the American Bar Assocation, or ABA.
In six of the last ten years, the college reported inaccurate data, either in regards to median GPA or LSAT scores, according to the report. The investigation found no evidence of misreporting data in any other areas examined during the inquiry, including career placement, passage of the bar and financial aid and scholarships.
In an email sent to the College of Law community Monday, Bruce Smith, dean of the college, invited interested students, faculty and staff to a meeting in the College of Law Library, 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Champaign, Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Attendees will receive a briefing from the investigative team, Smith said.
