Admissions Reform
The University of Illinois has reformed its admissions process based on the recommendations of the Admissions Review Commission (ARC), released on August 6, 2009. On August 12, 2009, 100 faculty and administrative leadership from the three U of I campuses met to “accept, embrace and rapidly implement” the commission’s recommendations to reform the University’s admissions process. The chancellors of the U of I’s three campuses appointed expert teams of admissions officers, administrators and faculty on their respective campuses to review and revise admission policies to conform to the ARC’s recommendations over the next 8 weeks. The revisions include establishing written criteria for admissions decisions; considering the viability of an appeals system; creating a process for handling third-party inquiries on applicants’ admission status; creating a central, transparent and confidential means of handling all inquiries about an applicant’s admission status; and ensuring diversity on the admissions staff. The reforms have been shared with the deans’ councils, admissions officers, and faculty governance leaders and endorsed by the provosts and chancellors. In parallel, at its Sept. 10 meeting, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution directing the University leadership to implement reforms recommended in the ARC report. The centerpiece of the admission reforms is the adoption of a Code of Conduct for Admissions to ensure fairness, transparency and equality of access for all applicants to the University’s three campuses. The purpose of the Code of Conduct for Admissions is to prohibit improper influence in the admissions process by strictly limiting inquiries on the status of applications to applicants and those authorized by applicants. The code states:
The details of the reforms, including the nature of the “firewall” against undue influence in the admissions process, are specific to the campus and the program (graduate versus professional versus undergraduate). The reforms are summarized in Reforms at a Glance. At each campus, efforts are well under way on training admissions officers on the specific reforms in preparation for the admissions cycle for the 2010-11 school year. Each campus has also made its document on admissions reform available online. Each campus has mechanisms for an internal review of their admissions process over the next 12 months. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will conduct an overall university-wide assessment of the admissions reform in six months and 12 months. Details of admissions process and the appeals process at each campus are online:
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