Spring Break
Holistic admissions aim to diversify
Current policy outdated, factors other than academics important UW System officials say
Nathaniel Shuda
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Campus News
At a statewide forum Tuesday, the UW System Board of Regents heard from students, educators and community members on both sides of the issue regarding the proposed changes to its freshman admissions policy.
The proposed modifications to the written policy state that while academic factors are still the most important, other information, including age, gender, race and personal experiences, contribute to the selection of students.
The current set of five policies that govern the admissions process, some of which date back to 1972, are outdated and need to be compiled into one single policy, said UW System President Kevin Reilly at the forum, which was held via video conference at five locations across the state, including UW-Eau Claire.
"In keeping with our long-standing practice and the most recent legal rulings, this approach contributes to … a diverse population of students who will succeed in the college, benefit from the experience and make positive contributions to our public universities," Reilly said.
Kris Anderson, admissions director at Eau Claire, said that while the proposed policy change would update the written policy, many UW schools have already been using a "holistic" admissions process for quite a while.
"It's just a matter of bringing the language up to speed," Anderson said, explaining the current policy only takes class rank and ACT scores into account.
"I want to know more about a student, not less," she said. "We are interested in diversity, and we want students that are going to be successful, but academic factors are always going to be number one."
Kimberly Barrett, associate vice chancellor for Student Development and Diversity, said that while Eau Claire already practices a "diversity-conscious" admissions policy, any change to the written policy could still eventually lead to an increase in diversity on campus.
"The effects we will see (on diversity) are going to be long term in terms of generating interest of students who normally might not apply," she said. "It's not so much about race as it is as much about creating a society that allows everyone to reach their potential."
"We need to find additional predictors (of student success) and do a better job of finding students with potential when deciding the makeup of the campus community."
In addition to the forum, the Regents have created a Web site to collect the opinions and views of the public before making a decision at the Board's February meeting, said David Giroux, the System's executive director of communications.
"We've had a slow trickle of e-mail," Giroux said. "I hope that as people form their opinions, they'll actually take the time to read the policy. A lot of people have expressed strong opinions on this without knowing (the details of the policy)."
The proposed modifications to the written policy state that while academic factors are still the most important, other information, including age, gender, race and personal experiences, contribute to the selection of students.
The current set of five policies that govern the admissions process, some of which date back to 1972, are outdated and need to be compiled into one single policy, said UW System President Kevin Reilly at the forum, which was held via video conference at five locations across the state, including UW-Eau Claire.
"In keeping with our long-standing practice and the most recent legal rulings, this approach contributes to … a diverse population of students who will succeed in the college, benefit from the experience and make positive contributions to our public universities," Reilly said.
Kris Anderson, admissions director at Eau Claire, said that while the proposed policy change would update the written policy, many UW schools have already been using a "holistic" admissions process for quite a while.
"It's just a matter of bringing the language up to speed," Anderson said, explaining the current policy only takes class rank and ACT scores into account.
"I want to know more about a student, not less," she said. "We are interested in diversity, and we want students that are going to be successful, but academic factors are always going to be number one."
Kimberly Barrett, associate vice chancellor for Student Development and Diversity, said that while Eau Claire already practices a "diversity-conscious" admissions policy, any change to the written policy could still eventually lead to an increase in diversity on campus.
"The effects we will see (on diversity) are going to be long term in terms of generating interest of students who normally might not apply," she said. "It's not so much about race as it is as much about creating a society that allows everyone to reach their potential."
"We need to find additional predictors (of student success) and do a better job of finding students with potential when deciding the makeup of the campus community."
In addition to the forum, the Regents have created a Web site to collect the opinions and views of the public before making a decision at the Board's February meeting, said David Giroux, the System's executive director of communications.
"We've had a slow trickle of e-mail," Giroux said. "I hope that as people form their opinions, they'll actually take the time to read the policy. A lot of people have expressed strong opinions on this without knowing (the details of the policy)."
Be the first to comment on this story