View source for Organization:University of Texas at Austin admissions controversy

The '''University of Texas admissions controversy''' grew out of the investigations and public statements of a member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Wallace L. Hall Jr. was appointed to a six-year term in February 2011 by then Governor [[Biography:Rick Perry|Rick Perry]].<ref>{{cite news|title="Perry Appoints New Regents", Dallas News|url=http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2011/02/perry-appoints-new-ut-regents.html}}</ref> Following his appointment, and in the wake of the failure of a campaign to remodel the [[Organization:University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas at Austin]] along business lines,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2011/03/07/aau-to-am-resist-ill-conceived-reforms/|title = A&M, Assn. Of American Universities in Fight over "Ill-Conceived" Reforms|date = 7 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2011/03/16/whos-behind-proposed-reforms-to-texas-higher-ed/|title = Six Degrees of Jeff Sandefer: Reform and Texas Higher ed|date = 16 March 2011}}</ref> Hall began broadly investigating the administrative dealings of President Bill Powers.
Hall was the first to publicly raise concerns about legislative influence on admissions at UT-Austin under President Powers' tenure.<ref name="UT Regents Push Back">{{cite news|last1= McGaughy |first1=Lauren | date=September 15, 2014 |title=UT Regents Push Back|url=http://www.expressnews.com/news/education/article/UT-regents-push-back-at-lawmakers-on-admissions-5757621.php|publisher=San Antonio Express-News}}</ref>  Following up on these concerns, the UT system launched a limited probe to determine whether legislators' application recommendations made directly to Powers were given special treatment.<ref name="UT Regents Push Back"/> On February 12, 2015, this investigation found that Powers had helped certain applicants gain admission, including those with questionable academic credentials, if he felt that doing so was in the university's best interests.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last=Belkin |first=Nathan Koppel and Douglas |title=President of University of Texas at Austin Faulted on Admissions |url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/president-of-university-of-texas-at-austin-faulted-on-admissions-1423786177 |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref> This was described by some as vindication of UT Regent Hall.<ref name="The Texas Tribune">{{cite web|url=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/12/ut-system-releases-admissions-report/|title=Report: Powers Overruled UT Admissions Office|work=The Texas Tribune|date=12 February 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="statesman.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/uts-powers-overruled-admissions-office-report-says/nj9WH/|title=UT President Bill Powers overruled admissions office, report says|work=statesman.com}}</ref>
<ref name="CCAP">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2015/02/13/everyone-else-does-it/|title=Everyone Else Does It|author=CCAP|date=13 February 2015|work=Forbes}}</ref> Others have pointed out that such admissions procedures are widespread, even desirable, in American higher education.<ref>{{Cite web|title = On Bono, Favoritism and College Admissions|url = https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2009/10/on-bono-favoritism-and-college-admissions/28547/|website = The Atlantic|date = 16 October 2009|access-date = 2016-01-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = The Farce of Meritocracy: Why Legacy Admissions Might Actually Be A Good Thing|url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshfreedman/2013/11/14/the-farce-of-meritocracy-in-elite-higher-education-why-legacy-admissions-might-be-a-good-thing/#70cec25e3b5a4cd061fb3b5a|website = Forbes|access-date = 2016-01-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = One in Four Colleges Say They're Pressured to Rig Admissions|url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/one-in-four-colleges-say-they-re-pressured-to-rig-admissions|website = Bloomberg.com|access-date = 2016-01-18|first = Natalie Kitroeff|last = NatalieKitro|date = April 2015}}</ref>

According to the report, from 2009 to 2014, students flagged by university officials were admitted 74% of the time compared to an overall admission rate of 40%.<ref name="auto1" /> President Powers and his Chief of Staff "each failed to speak with candor and forthrightness expected of people in their positions of trust and leadership," the report stated.<ref name="auto1" /> Powers agreed to step down in June 2013, partly in response to the probe. He told ''The Wall Street Journal'' that he had "intervened on behalf of a relatively small number of students" but denied that it was "undue influence".<ref name="auto1" />

==References==
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* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Texas, University of |short=x}}

{{University of Texas System}}
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