Last fall, UW System President Kevin Reilly asked the Board of Regents to implement a ""holistic"" freshman admissions policy at all UW campuses. The policy—which has been used effectively at UW-Madison for years—requires admissions officers to consider non-academic factors in evaluating prospective students, while maintaining the primacy of academic factors. Non-academic factors include race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, motivation, leadership qualities and legacy status, among other things.
Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater—known for trying to force UW-Madison to fire controversial Islamist lecturer Kevin Barrett—opposes System-wide implementation of the policy, which he provocatively described as ""race-based."" Nass also encouraged postponement of the Regents' discussion of the policy until February, apparently so he could mount a political counterattack.
We believe this policy—which has proved viable at UW-Madison—should be adopted across the UW System. The policy would increase System-wide consistency in the admissions process, as well as help achieve greater diversity at System campuses and improve educational access for Wisconsin residents.
Nass and other critics complain that qualified Wisconsin students would be shut out of the UW System under this policy. We believe, however, that all qualified Wisconsin residents can find a place in the UW System—especially as new rules make it easier for Wisconsin technical college graduates to transfer to four-year campuses.
The needs of individual applicants are important, of course. However, the UW System must balance the competing needs of all stakeholders: residents—who want a vibrant economy; students—who want good educational opportunities; and employers—who want a qualified work force.
Recruiting and training a brainy student body is part of the solution to this delicate tug-of-war, but it is not everything. According to Reilly, employers now want graduates with a global perspective as well as a first-rate education. They want employees who reflect the diversity of American society and are able to get along with a wide range of people—including, for example, suppliers in China or Nicaragua; manufacturers in Malawi or Bangladesh; and customers in Bolivia or Moldova.
Creating a student body that meets society's diverse needs for education is more art than science. Looking at UW-Madison's dynamic student body, however, it is obvious the holistic admission policy is working well here. We think the quality of our student body is good enough evidence that this policy should be extended throughout the UW System.
