Advocate Online

They're Talking On Campus. . .

…About a vote by the University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents requiring every campus in the state system to consider applicants’ race and ethnicity in admissions policies.

David G. Walsh, the board’s president, said the decision was “truly about having a better educational experience for our students.” In addition to directing campuses to consider applicants’ ethnicity and race, the new policy requires them to look at other factors, such as whether applicants come from low-income backgrounds or are military veterans or returning adult students.

…About a study of college presidents from the American Council on Education that finds 86 percent of presidents were white and 77 percent male in 2006. In 1986, when the study was first conducted, 92 percent were white and 91 percent were male.

The good news is the study also revealed that only about 8 percent of presidents are now 50 or younger, compared with about 42 percent in 1986 and almost half of presidents in 2006 were older than 60, compared with 14 percent of presidents in 1986. The American College President 2007 is available from ACE at www.acenet.edu.

…About a study by Princeton researchers that found children of alumni—legacies—to be far more likely than minority students or athletes to run into academic trouble in college if admissions preferences got them through the door.

The full study is in the Social Problems Journal at www.sssp.org.