2008 Woodie Awards
UW-W ACT standard below average
Andrew Whitman
Issue date: 5/7/08 Section: News
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At the Chancellor Search and Screen forum last week, Berger said other UW institutions are perceived to be academically superior because they have higher admission standards.
"Talking to a number of guidance counselors over the years, our comparable institutions at Eau Claire and at La Crosse tend to have better reputations outside of the business school, among guidance counselors and parents of college-bound students because of their more rigorous admission standards," he said.
Berger said the university must find a way to balance high academic standards and still keep the university accessible to perspective students.
"I don't think so," Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, guidance counselor at the Whitewater High School said. "Many students choose to go to UW-Whitewater because of the programs they offer, students choose to go to other schools to experience college in another city."
Local students choose to go to other institutions because they have been living in the area all their lives and want to move away to some-place else, Sonmor-Wintz said.
She does not believe lower admission requirements deter perspective students from coming to UW-Whitewater.
"I think the kids are looking at the programs that each school offers, they're looking at the location, how many scholarships they win, but I wouldn't say [admission standards] turn them off," Sonmor-Wintz said.
UW-Whitewater does a good job of recruiting and advertising the programs offered on campus she said.
"I think UW-Whitewater has a very good reputation and it's nice they have the standards that they do," Sonmor-Wintz said.
While Interim Chancellor Telfer disagreed about low academic standards during a similar question from a different faculty member, he also said the average ACT score of incoming freshman is lower than at some institutions.
The average ACT score for incoming freshmen at UW-Whitewater is about 22.8, according to the admissions office. The average score at UW-Eau Claire is over 24 and over 23 at UW-La Crosse, according to their admissions offices.
"The average ACT scores of students that come to UW-Whitewater are lower than the ACT scores of students at other institutions," Telfer said. "Understand, it is simply an average."
Showing people how successful UW-Whitewater students are during and after their time at the university and pointing out their awards, will help address any negative perceptions, Telfer said.
"Why are we focused on the numbers of our entering students as opposed to the nationally recognized programs that we have," Telfer said. "We're not a worse institution, we are a better institution. We have to communicate to people the kind of things we are doing."
UW-Whitewater is comparable to some other UW schools, UW-Oshkosh's average ACT score for incoming freshmen is about 22.5, while UW-Platteville and UW-Stout only require an ACT score of 22 for incoming freshmen. UW-Whitewater is in the midst of increasing enrollment through a projected growth agenda and academic perception could play a factor.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
ryan
posted 5/07/08 @ 3:49 AM CST
You can file this under the "least surprising stories ever" folder. Sit in a UW-Whitewater English class and then read this story.
Ryan
posted 5/07/08 @ 5:32 PM CST
Agree with Ryan's comment. While I do not think this deters students, it doesn't look good from a potential employer's perspective. Where is the 'tough' reputation that UW-Whitewater was once known for? Why does one of the supposidely elite schools in the area have lower standards than other UW-system schools??
howard ross
posted 5/08/08 @ 7:10 AM CST
We all know that Berger speaks the truth. I should know. I served as Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences for 13 years, and pushed hard, unsuccessfully, to raise admission standards but Whitewater uses an enrollment target, regardless of the standards, to generate additional revenue. (Continued…)
Ronald Berger
posted 5/12/08 @ 6:10 PM CST
Since my question at the Chancellor search and screen forum seems to have sparked this RP article, I would add that the College of Business and College of Education have implemented more rigorous requirements to screen students entering their programs. (Continued…)
Jim
posted 5/13/08 @ 9:30 PM CST
What was the point of this article? Everybody knows we trail Madison, Eau Claire, and La Crosse academically. Why wasn't more information provided about River Falls, Superior, Stout, Parkside, Milwaukee, Platteville and Green Bay. (Continued…)
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