University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers overruled his staff to admit well-connected students, according to an independent investigation released Thursday.
Powers’s philosophy could end up providing "affirmative action for the advantaged," according to the report, which looked into admissions practices at one of the nation's largest and most prominent public universities. Investigators found UT-Austin, at Powers’s behest, may have given preferential admission to some students with moneyed ties or politically influential backers.
As many as 73 undergraduate students at UT-Austin in the past 6 years, and perhaps a handful more at the university’s top-ranked law school, were admitted despite grades and test scores that were substantially below those of other admitted students. Of these, some had ties to lawmakers or alumni, though others were perhaps admitted to provide diversity on campus.
"I do intervene in that process at the request of our regents and others," Powers said at a Thursday afternoon press conference in Austin following the report’s release.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/13/investigation-finds-ut-austin-president-influenced-admissions-decisions