Documents show the former SIU system president might have hindered student recruitment efforts for the Carbondale campus by not approving a mailing list purchase.
The Southern Illinoisan reports emails show then-President Randy Dunn didn't take action during his final two months in office on spending $499,000 to buy contact information for students who've taken the SAT, ACT and other standardized tests.
Dunn resigned in July after criticism over his proposal to shift $5 million in state funding from the Carbondale campus to Edwardsville.
Carbondale associate chancellor Jennifer DeHaemers says the mailing list is critical to student recruitment as most colleges are going after the same students. The campus saw a nearly 12 percent enrollment drop this fall.
Interim president Kevin Dorsey approved the purchase soon after taking office.
