To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff
           <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "Illinois Provost" <provost@illinois.edu>

Reply-To: provost@illinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Admissions Reforms

To:	All Staff, All Faculty

From: 	Interim Provost Robert Easter

Re:	Admissions Reforms

The Admissions Task Force was charged by former Chancellor Herman, Interim 
Provost Easter, and Senate Executive Committee Chair Tolliver to outline 
how we will implement the recommendations made by the Illinois Admissions 
Review Commission (ARC) in its August 6 report. I am pleased to report 
that the Task Force has completed its work and its recommendations have 
been shared with President White, with the Urbana Council of Deans, and 
with the other two campuses. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to 
the Task Force, particularly its chair, Professor Christine Hurt, for the 
careful and thoughtful work under challenging time constraints. 

The Admissions Task Force was not asked to change the work of the 
admissions staff but to protect it and clarify it - to put, in the words 
of the ARC report, a "firewall" around it and insulate it from external 
pressures and undue influence. I write now to share the Task Force's 
recommendations and to summarize the limitations and responsibilities of 
the firewall. 

The Admissions Task Force recommendations state:

With regard to undergraduate admissions, no third party, including 
Trustees, government officials, or university employees without admissions 
responsibilities, shall attempt to communicate with Office of 
Undergraduate Admissions staff members or employees with admissions 
responsibility regarding any applicant file. Any such communication is not 
permitted and would be logged for review by the Senate Admissions 
Committee. Only an applicant, an applicant's parent or legal guardian, 
spouse or secondary high school guidance counselor may communicate with 
the admissions office regarding an individual file.

Third-party communications, typically in the form of letters of 
recommendation, are fundamental to the admissions procedures of most post-
baccalaureate graduate and professional programs. Such communications are 
acceptable so long as the third party is an expert in a relevant academic 
or professional field or has other expertise that bears directly on the 
academic qualifications of an applicant. Other third-party communications 
are prohibited. 

What does this mean for you?

If you are contacted by an applicant or an applicant's parents/legal 
guardian, spouse or high school counselor, you should refer the person to 
the appropriate admissions office or officer.

If you are contacted about an applicant by any other person, you should 
inform the person that you cannot share information about an applicant and 
that unsolicited information from third parties is not considered in the 
admissions process. Moreover, attempting to introduce unsolicited third-
party information into the admissions process is prohibited. Given this 
firewall policy, you should not contact or attempt to pass along third-
party information to an admissions officer or an employee with admissions 
responsibility regarding any particular applicant. 

Admissions officers and employees with admissions responsibility will log 
any third-party influence attempts they receive. The logs will be reviewed 
annually by the Senate Admissions Committee and are subject to public 
scrutiny. Any university employee who violates any part of this policy 
prohibiting improper influence in admissions shall be subject to 
discipline, up to and including termination.
 
The Admissions Task Force Report is available at 
http://www.provost.illinois.edu/admissions/index.html.
For additional information, contact Vice Provost Richard Wheeler at 
rpw@illinois.edu.
This mailing approved by:
The Office of the Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

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