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April 2, 2003
JAMES KAPLAN NAMED IBHE CHAIRMAN
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SPRINGFIELD -James L. Kaplan has been appointed by
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich as Chairman of the Illinois Board
of Higher Education (IBHE). He succeeds Steven H. Lesnik,
who held the post for the past year. Kaplan, a long-time advocate
for students with disabilities, has served on the Board since
July 1999. He is a public member, reappointed by former Governor
George Ryan to a term that expires in January 2007.
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"I want to assure everyone throughout our great higher education
system that I will work tirelessly to advance the cause of higher
education to ensure that we sustain our status among the top-ranked
states in the nation," Kaplan said. He praised Lesnik's tenure
as Chairman and for being "a powerful voice for colleges and
universities in Illinois."
As a Board member, Kaplan has been active in various special studies
and projects, including the committee that oversaw development of
the University Center of Lake County and the Committee on Access
and Diversity.
Kaplan, who resides in Lincolnshire, is the managing partner of
Kaplan & Sorosky, in Chicago, and specializes in worker's compensation
and administrative law. He earned his B.A. in history at the University
of Arizona and his law degree from Illinois Institute of Technology,
Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Kaplan is past chairman of the Illinois State Advisory Council on
the Education of Children With Disabilities. He has been a lecturer
for a training course sponsored by the Office of Research Safety
at the National Cancer Institute, and served as general counsel
to the Illinois Legislature on revisory commissions on labor law
and high rise fire safety. He also was a member of the Illinois
State Board of Education reorganization project team in 1995 and
the monitoring/compliance project team in 1996.
The new Chairman presided at the Board's meeting at Danville Area
Community College April 1.
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