June 25, 2001
Atkinson: After SP-1, UC is pursuing both access and excellence
By Richard C. Atkinson
The University of California Board of Regents has rescinded SP-1, the 1995 resolution
that banned affirmative action at UC, and replaced it with a new resolution affirming
UC's commitment to enrolling a student body that is both high-achieving and that
reflects the wide variety of backgrounds characteristic of California.
 |
| UC President Richard C. Atkinson |
The repeal of SP-1 is but one of several issues related to UC admissions that have been making headlines in recent months. I welcome the debate that has been generated over these issues, including the debate over my own proposals for change in the admissions process.
Some commentators, in the press and elsewhere, have labeled our admissions initiatives as a step toward sacrificing the university's high academic standards for the sake of diversity.
In reality, the University of California is embarked on a course of maintaining
excellence while also expanding access for students who have demonstrated high levels
of achievement--perhaps in ways that the university's previous admissions policies
have overlooked.
Excellence is not measured by numbers alone. Many California students have achieved
something substantial that, while it may or may not show up in their grades or test
scores, should be taken into consideration when they apply to college.
I am thinking of the gifted musician, the visionary artist, or the budding scientist.
The student who performed at the top of the class in a rural school that lacked the
resources necessary to offer all the college-preparatory opportunities available
elsewhere. The youth who made steady gains in academic performance over the course
of high school, despite a background of poverty or violence or simply one in which
college was not seen as an option.
These students have much to gain from the UC experience. But they also have much
to contribute, and we want to welcome them to our campuses.
The university is in the process of implementing or discussing several admissions-related
initiatives, all of which aim to ensure that we do not think too narrowly about what
constitutes achievement when we admit students. These initiatives include:
- Eligibility in the Local Context: The ELC program, implemented for the
first time this year, grants UC eligibility to the top 4 percent of the graduating
class in each California high school, based on grades in UC-required courses. The
faculty recommended and the Regents adopted the program to ensure that high-performing
students, including those from rural and urban schools, have access to UC regardless
of the level of educational enrichment available in their schools.
- Dual Admissions: Under my proposal to the Academic Senate, the top 4 percent
to 12.5 percent of students in each high school would be granted admission to UC,
provided they first successfully complete a transfer program at a community college.
Like the ELC program, this program would send a clear message to students who have
excelled academically in disadvantaged schools that they have a clear and affordable
route to a UC degree.
- Standardized tests: I also have proposed to the Academic Senate that UC
no longer require the SAT I for freshman admission. The test would be replaced with
subject-based achievement tests, such as the SAT II, that better measure what students
have actually learned in school and better predict their success in college. Such
a change would bolster educational standards in California by drawing a clear link
between what is taught in high school and what students are evaluated on for college
entrance.
- Comprehensive review: The faculty is considering an additional proposal of mine to evaluate all applicants to the university in a comprehensive way. Included in this review is the question of whether a certain proportion of applicants to the university should be reviewed on the basis of academic criteria alone. I believe that evaluating applicants as fully as possible, despite the additional time and resources required, is the best model for UC--and one that is successfully used by many of our colleagues in private institutions, with whom we compete for the most talented students.
These proposals are not about lowering standards, nor about benefiting one group
at the expense of another. They are about creating a process that is fair to all
students, that expands educational opportunity, that rewards academic achievement,
and that considers this achievement in the context of the opportunities available
to the student.
I am proud that, at the University of California, we have assembled the finest group
of students and scholars at any public university--anywhere. I also am proud that,
at the same time, we have been able to offer broad access at an affordable price.
These are the qualities for which our university is world-renowned. As California
enters a period of economic uncertainty, cultural change, and continued rapid population
growth, it will be more important than ever to continue promoting these complementary
goals of excellence and access.
Richard C. Atkinson is president of the University of California.
