UT Austin studies admissions after critical report
Published 7:51 pm Monday, February 16, 2015
- UT System Chancellor William McRaven, right, listens during a meeting in Austin, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015. A "select handful" of University of Texas applicants are approved each year at the direction of the school president over the objections of the admissions office, a longtime practice that has grown in recent years, according to details of an investigation commissioned by the school's Board of Regents and released Thursday. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Ralph Barrera)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — University of Texas Chancellor Bill McRaven has created a committee to study admissions practices in the wake of an investigation that found unqualified students have been admitted based on their connections.
The announcement Monday comes just days after an external investigation found that the flagship university’s president, Bill Powers, used his authority to admit applicants with friends in high places — and then misled lawyers looking into the matter. It also found that members of the board of regents exerted influence over admissions.
The Dallas Morning News reports that the committee will review policy recommendations from the investigation and an earlier internal inquiry at UT-Austin. Recommendations are expected within 60 days.
The committee is comprised of several former University of Texas system chancellors and past presidents of UT-Austin.
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