New UT Admissions Policy Gives Campus Presidents Discretion

The agenda book for this week’s two-day meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents ran 479 pages.

Read the new admissions policy in full here.

But in “very rare circumstances”, a university president could step in and get a student into school. That would be allowed when the president believes accepting a particular student is of the “highest institutional importance”.

The announcement follows a series of investigations into admissions practices at UT-Austin.

A February report found Powers sometimes intervened to admit students with subpar credentials who had been supported by lawmakers, donors or regents.

System Chancellor William McRaven then appointed a panel of former UT System and UT Austin presidents and chancellors to make policy recommendations. In those cases, the student must be well-qualified, he or she must not take another applicant’s spot, and the university president must inform the chancellor of the decision. And letters of recommendation that don’t provide substantive information about a student would not be considered.

“I would go to bed that night with a smile on my face knowing that I did something good for the students of my university”, he said.

Deputy Chancellor David Daniel says the new policy only allows the president to order a student be admitted on very rare occasions and with the highest institutional importance.

UT-Austin president Greg Fenves disagreed.

Hall was a sharp critic of Powers’ policies as president on admissions, fundraising, contracting and other matters.

Regent Wallace Hall was the one opponent.

Board Chairman Paul Foster deferred a vote on the consent agenda until Thursday, at which time Sharphorn said there was no conflict. “Nothing is flawless, although I think this is pretty darn close”.

“This memorializes bad acts from a hidden admissions program”, Hall told the Austin American-Statesman.

“We’re a public university system and not a private college that is permitted to operate in any manner they see fit”, Hall said.

The new policy also mandates that UT “presidents, provosts and deans ensure that admission offices are shielded from undue influence”. But Hall said he was frustrated with his belief that the regents hadn’t been able to fully explore what has already happened during board meetings. “It is important that the wisest possible decision be made on the placement of the cut-lines, and it is appropriate for the President to be involved in the discussions leading to those decisions”.