McRaven forms committee of distinguished former UT leaders to study admissions

The University of Texas System Chancellor William H. McRaven announced today that he is forming a committee to study the recommendations offered by Kroll Associates in the review of admissions practices at UT Austin.

“My goal is to ensure full and open transparency to the public with respect to how admissions decisions are made at UT Austin.” McRaven said. “I realize that admissions practices are complicated and nuanced processes, but we must clearly define a policy that determines the degree of appropriate discretion at the institution level, while ensuring a fair and transparent process for applicants.”

The committee is composed of respected leaders with deep knowledge of UT Austin and the UT System. They include:
•    Former UT Austin President Larry Faulkner
•    Former UT Austin President Peter Flawn
•    Former UT Austin President and former UT System Chancellor William Cunningham
•    Former UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof (Also former provost at UT Austin, former president of The University of Minnesota and former president of The University of California System)
•    Former UT System Chancellor Dan Burck
•    UT System Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Pedro Reyes, ex officio

McRaven is asking the committee to review the recommendations in the Kroll report, as well as recommendations on best practices in admissions requirements adopted by the UT System Board of Regents in July 2014. Those recommendations were the result of a report commissioned by former Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., after an internal inquiry into UT Austin’s admissions process last year.

“Dr. Reyes and his team did a superb job on last year’s review,” McRaven said. “However, I would like to have the internal report reviewed and compared with the Kroll recommendations.”

McRaven said his goal for the committee is to provide him and the Board of Regents with the very best practices in admissions policy — practices and policies that provide the necessary transparency and oversight while taking a deeper look at today’s admissions environment, particularly among highly selective universities.

McRaven has asked the committee to present recommendations to strengthen the admissions process for undergraduate and professional schools within the next 60 days.

About The University of Texas System
Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities, six health institutions and an enrollment of more than 214,000. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $15.6 billion (FY 2015) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 90,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state. For more information, visit www.utsystem.edu.