Statistics for the Chicago campus show that from 1998-2008 approximately 9 percent of the student population was African-American, 13 percent was Hispanic and 46 percent identified as Caucasian. For the 2008-09 school year, just 2,524 of 41,496 students at Champaign-Urbana were African-American.

“What I’ve found in my six years as a trustee is that many African-American students don’t even apply because they have had such bad experiences,” Carroll says. “The counselors in the high schools need to have an emphasis on recommending students and encouraging them to apply to the University of Illinois as our premier university. Make sure they don’t get any kind of feeling that it’s not accessible to them.”

The other trustee who refused to resign is James D. Montgomery, a prominent Black Chicago attorney. Joining Carroll and Montgomery on the board as newly appointed trustees are Christopher G. Kennedy, president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., and Lawrence Oliver II, chief counsel in charge of internal investigations for the Boeing Company. He is a frequent national speaker on issues of corporate compliance.

“Initially the board must grapple with the findings from the panel’s report, including determining the status of the university’s current leadership and implementing measures to ensure there are no more ‘Category I’ (or ‘clout list’) type issues,” wrote Oliver in an e-mail to Diverse.

“Diversity and inclusion are issues at most, if not all, public universities,” he added. “It is a topic that I personally care a great deal about and will look to actively engage in.”

Gov. Quinn’s office did not respond to request for comment.

In a press release issued by the governor’s office, it noted that Governor Quinn said he intends to name more trustees to the university board within a few days. The next trustee meeting is scheduled for September 10.