New UC-Davis Official Arrives in Cloud of Controversy

State senator tells school president to "take his head out of the sand"

University of California-Davis President Mark Yudof is coming under fire from State Senator Leland Yee for his support of new chancellor Linda Katehi, who has been implicated in a scandal at her previous job.

Katehi previously presided as provost at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she directly oversaw the school's admissions.

In a report by the Chicago Tribune last month, it was revealed that students who weren't academically qualified were being given special consideration after lobbying by influence peddlers.

Katehi denied any involvement, or even knowledge of the "Category I" list the questionable candidates were filed under.

However, records of emails published by the Tribune show that she was often included in the chain of communication, and many of the emails went directly to members of her staff.

Senator Yee, who has made an issue of salaries afforded to UC administrators, has demanded an investigation into Katehi's role in the scandal.

However, Yudof has refused, stating that he has "100 percent confidence" in Katehi.

Photo by Bev Sykes.

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