University of Maryland Names Jennifer King Rice Senior Vice President and Provost
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COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The University of Maryland has named Jennifer King Rice Ph.D., as Senior Vice President and Provost, effective August 11, 2021. The Senior Vice President and Provost is the second-ranking officer of the university, reporting directly to the President.
As Senior Vice President, Rice will lead the university in its mission to advance academic excellence while promoting social justice, cultural diversity, resource conservation, and economic opportunity. As chief academic officer, Rice will provide leadership and oversight for the development and implementation of all academic planning, policies, and budgeting; review all academic appointments and make recommendations to the President on all promotion and tenure decisions; and ensure the excellence and diversity of programs, faculty, and students ac
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Update: Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed into law the bill allowing for ACT and SAT optional admissions at Colorado colleges.
Supporters of an effort to make national test entrance exams optional for students applying to Colorado public colleges believe the change will open opportunities for a more diverse set of students. Now, critics of the idea have signed onto the effort after a change that would require colleges and universities to provide detailed information on whether the policy is having its intended effect.
Prominent education advocacy group Democrats for Education Reform switched from opposing to supporting the bill after the group said the amendment will strengthen reporting to understand whether colleges are enrolling more diverse students and graduating them at rates similar to their peers. The organization, which pushes for issues such as accountability and higher education quality and affordability, objected to the bill because the organization said
Past studies have revealed similar findings (although the finding on women is new), but the study s release comes at a time when many colleges are anxious for such research. Bennett, who is finishing his doctoral degree at Vanderbilt University, did not receive any outside funding for the work.
Bennett said in an interview that he saw one difference between the colleges he studied and the colleges that have just admitted their first class of test-optional students: the time they prepared for the change.
Most colleges in the past that have switched to test optional have devoted years to the process, and they have planned carefully. That can t be said about all the colleges that switched in the last year.
Author: Christopher Bennett (Vanderbilt University)
This study was published today in American Educational Research Journal.
Key Findings:
In undergraduate admissions, the adoption of test-optional policies at selective private institutions was linked to a 3-4 percent increase in enrollment of Pell Grant recipients, a 10-12 percent increase in enrollment of first-time Black, Latinx, and Native students, and a 6-8 percent increase in enrollment of first-time students who were women.
However, these gains translate into only a 1 percentage point increase in the share of the student body receiving Pell Grants, a 1 percentage point increase of the share of incoming students who were from underrepresented racially/ethnically minoritized backgrounds (i.e., Black, Latinx, and Native students), and a 4 percentage point increase in the share of incoming students who were women.
According to new research, having college-bound friends increases the likelihood that a student will enroll in college but that effect is diminished for Black and Latino students.