I used to have lunch almost every day with a group of faculty who were from the sciences, economics, and finance. Occasionally someone from English or Political Science would join the table, but the types of discussions that went on scared some people and seemed to repulse others. Although I’m a long way from Libertarian, […]
I’ve been enjoying the holiday break, one of the nicest parts about working at a university. It’s normally a time to sit back and take stock of the year while looking forward to getting back to work soon after the first of January. As I checked my Twitter feed this morning, I noticed NACAC had […]
A recent article in USA Today lauded the ways in which Notre Dame football is Number 1 in graduation rates of its players. And of course, they’re now Number 1 in the AP Poll and BCS rankings for College Football, too, a rare accomplishment that seems to make the always-proud alumni base even more sanctimonious […]
I’m not even going to link to the stories, as they’re so abundant and common: Over the past several years, many colleges have been caught (or sometimes admitted without getting caught) doing things to inflate the profile of the incoming class. Usually, this is the freshman class and SAT manipulation (Emory, Baylor, Claremont McKenna); sometimes it’s class […]
There are very few people who understand that Enrollment Management is, at some level, an exercise in managing trade-offs. Even though the old Michelob Light commercial suggests that you can have it all, in fact, you can’t. And in reality, if you could, you wouldn’t be working in higher education. (Those of you who know me […]
Note: Although I’ve said it elsewhere on this blog, I want to emphasize that these opinions are mine. Ever since the Michigan cases, and now with the Fisher case before the Supreme Court, something has bothered me: The way the average person just does not understand how college admission is done. I suppose this is […]
The other night my wife and I were sitting on our deck with guests and long-time friends Nancy and Al Maly from Grinnell. Among us we have about 60 years of college admission experience, so naturally the topic tends to come up when we get together. That, and Al’s fascination with the proper way to […]
If you grew up in the 60’s you know that headline is from the end of the Lawrence Welk Show, something I hated as a child but now think is pretty cool. But that’s not what this is about. After years of trying to effect some change in our profession via gentle nudging, I’ve decided […]
Today, it seems, is the day. You know the one I’m talking about. The day our national obsession with selective college admissions comes to a head. The day we check to see if any of the Ivy League Institutions (ILIs) has cracked the zero percent admit rate to which they all seem to aspire. I’m […]
This is dedicated to Father Anthony Lang, the professor who taught me logic and aesthetics in college. The two classes combined to show the beauty of clear thinking. Mount Holyoke College has received a lot of press in the past week or so for announcing that it will freeze tuition next year. Here’s just one […]
Jon Boeckenstedt's Admissions Weblog 