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
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
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