Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this article, Tracy McCabe was misidentified as a woman. The Daily Illini regrets this error.
The College of Law dropped 12 spots to No. 35 in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the best law schools. This drop comes after an admissions dean systematically manipulated LSAT scores and GPAs for years, according to an external investigation.
The University, along with two outside firms, issued a report in November that concluded that Paul Pless, then assistant dean of the college, was the sole actor in altering data to make the school seem more academically accomplished than it was.
While the college took a hit in its rankings — something that was a top priority for the school in attracting students — campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the campus is confident that the college will continue to be recognized among the nation’s top schools.
“Fall 2011 was a challenging period for the College of Law, but its defining attribute — its track record of producing great lawyers — has never been stronger,” she said in a statement.
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This may not be the only repercussion from the fallout. The American Bar Association, or ABA, the accrediting organization for law schools, has conducted its own investigation into the scores and could impose sanctions on the college. In this case, over six years of manipulated data was sent to the ABA.
As the College of Law deals with these issues, the College of Business’ MBA program tied for No. 37 this year, the same ranking it received last year.
Tracy McCabe, assistant dean of external and alumni affairs, is the chief communications officer for the College of Business. McCabe said he recognized the combined importance of the college’s ranking and its outreach to prospective students.
“Slight changes in position in the ranking do not have a strong correlation to enrollment,” McCabe said. “The quality of our students is reflective of the quality of our programs and our recruiting efforts, which go far beyond what U.S. News & World Report would publish as a ranking.”
Further rankings for the University of Illinois and its graduate programs can be found on the U.S. News & World Report’s “website.”:http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign-03053
