Program
Day 1: April 15, 2009 (Pugh Auditorium, Benson University Center)
Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
- Jill Tiefenthaler, Provost, Wake Forest University
Session 1 – Evaluating Standardized Testing, Part 1
Claudia Buchmann, Associate Professor of Sociology, Ohio State University.
Discussing: The Myth of Meritocracy: SAT Preparation, College Enrollment, Class
and Race in the U.S
John Douglass, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Studies in Higher Education
University of California at Berkeley. Discussing: Admissions at the University of
California
Kevin Rask, Professor of Economics, Wake Forest University. Discussing: Predictors
of College Success: The Importance of SATs, High School Grades and Curriculum
Moderator:
Robert Schaeffer, Public Education Director for FairTest
Session 2 - Evaluating Standardized Testing, Part 2
Thomas Espenshade, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Associate of the Office of
Population Research, Princeton University. Discussing: Diversity Implications of
SAT-Optional Admission Policies Among Selective Institutions
Nathan R. Kuncel, Marvin D. Dunnette Distinguished Professor, Department of
Psychology, University of Minnesota. Discussing: Some Things You Should Know
Jesse Rothstein, Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton
University. Discussing: SAT Scores, High Schools, and Collegiate Performance
Predictions
Jessica VanParys, Economics Department, University of Georgia. Discussing: How
well does the new SAT explain first-year college outcomes by race and gender?
Moderator:
Akbar Salam, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wake Forest University
Lunch Break
12:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Session 3 – Crafting a Class: The Academic and Social Goals of Admissions
Arlene Cash, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Spelman College.
Discussing: Hidden Promise: Accessing Excellence through the Enrollment Process
Sally Donahue, Director of Financial Aid and Senior Admissions Officer, Harvard
University. Discussing: Admissions considerations of socio-economic factors
Christoph Guttentag, Dean of Admissions, Duke University
Moderator:
Martha Allman, Director of Admissions, Wake Forest University
Welcoming Remarks
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Nathan O. Hatch, President
Keynote Address: "Slumdog Ivy Leaguer"
- Daniel Golden, Senior Editor at Conde Nast Portfolio, former Deputy Bureau Chief Boston Bureau, Wall Street Journal, and author of The Price of Admission (2006)
Reception (Green Room, Reynolda Hall)
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Day 2: April 16, 2009 (Pugh Auditorium, Benson University Center)
Session 1 – Assessing the High School Record
Greg Roberts, Dean of Admissions, University of Virginia. Discussing: Access
and Opportunity for Low Income High School Students: Recruiting and
Enrolling High Achieving, High Need Students at the University of Virginia
Lloyd Thacker, Director, Education Conservancy. Discussing: Cultivating
Studenthood: Sending Signals, Influencing Behavior
Bruce Walker, Vice Provost and Director of Admissions, University of Texas
at Austin. Discussing: Overcoming the Effects of Social Structure on College-
going Behavior and College Success: Texas and the Top 10% Solution
Moderator:
Peter M. Siavelis, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Fellow and Associate
Professor, Department of Political Science, Wake Forest University
Session 2 – How to Predict Engaged and Successful Students
Steve Chatman, Project Director, Student Experience in the Research
University, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley.
Discussing: Recognizing and Then Using Disciplinary Patterns of the
Undergraduate
Scott Highhouse, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology,
Bowling Green State University. Discussing: Cautions on the Use of
Holistic Assessment: Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Omari Swinton, Assistant Professor, Howard University. Discussing:
Noncognitive Ability, College Learning, and Student Retention
Moderator:
Eric R. Stone, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University
Lunch Break
12:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Session 3 – Outcomes Assessment: Evaluating College Ranking
Systems and the Meaning of College Success
Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of Admissions, Yale University. Discussing: Beyond
Rankings: Providing Better Information for College Choices
Robert Morse, Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report.
Discussing: College Rankings: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Richard Vedder, Professor of Economics, Ohio University. Discussing:
Assessing University Performance: The Role of Rankings
Moderator:
Michele Gillespie, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives and Kale
Associate Professor of History, Wake Forest University