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Season 3, Episode 1 - SAT: Rethinking College Admission Criteria

Transcript | Duration: 22:12

About This Episode:

In a sweeping decision amid the height of the pandemic, universities across the country decided to remove the SAT/ACT as an admission requirement and go test-optional. In the absence of this tool, institutions have been forced to rethink their approach to admissions and take a holistic look at the students who apply.

Higher Ed Rewired spoke with Gary Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission at UCLA, David Holmes, the executive director of the Character Collaborative, Kelly Rosinger, assistant professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, and Angel B. Pérez of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. They share their research and experience on how this change has affected admission at test-optional institutions and what this may look like for the future of enrollment management for higher education.  ​


Featured on This Episode:

Gary Clark has served in the college admission profession for over 20 years and currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Admission at UCLA. He began his career at Christopher Newport University and the College of William & Mary (both in VA) before moving to CA in 1999. He served in the admission office at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA from 1999-2005 before joining the admission staff at the University of Southern California. After seven years at USC, he joined UCLA in his current role in November of 2012. He earned his bachelor's degree from Christopher Newport University (VA) and master's degree from Claremont Graduate University (CA).


David Holmes is the executive director of the Character Collaborative. Holmes worked with colleagues around the nation to create an organization to elevate character and other non-academic factors in college admission. Today, 2020, the Collaborative has 65 organizations and 160 individuals involved in its work.


Angel B. Pérez is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. He is the primary voice of the association to government, media, and global partners. Pérez is recognized as a national thought leader and is a sought-after speaker on issues of educational equity, access, and success in American education.

He holds a B.S. from Skidmore College, an M.A. from Columbia University, a PhD from Claremont Graduate University, and a Teaching Certification in Higher Education Pedagogy from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University.


Kelly Rosinger is an assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies and a research associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University. Her research examines the barriers students face going to and through college and how post-secondary policies, practices, and interventions shape educational outcomes, Her current work considers how various aspects of post-secondary policies reduce (or exacerbate) racial and economic disparities in educational outcomes and how policies can be designed with equity in mind.


She earned a PhD in higher education and a master's degree in public administration and policy, both from the University of Georgia. She previously worked as an assistant director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Georgia.



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