Business as Usual?

There was plenty of righteous indignation to go around when the Chicago Tribune broke the story of the University of Illinois’ track record of showing favoritism to applicants with friends in high places, The school reacted quickly, promising to change its policies and accepting the resignation of two trustees while a special investigative commission urged the other seven to step down. Yet even still, the firestorm continues unabated. Even the fiercest critics concede, though, that the University of Illinois is not alone in showing favoritism to certain applicants and there are certainly other documented cases that call into question the fairness of some college admissions procedures. How do schools justify these practices? Kevin Carey thinks he knows. Read his insightful opinion piece on the topic in the Chronicle of Higher Education.