University Senate discusses changes in admissions process, legacy admissions
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The University Senate discussed new changes to Syracuse University’s admissions process, including revised application questions and refocused student outreach, at their first meeting of the academic year on Wednesday. It was the first time the Senate met since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action from college admissions in June.
Gretchen Ritter, SU’s vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, said that prospective students applying to SU will now be directed to explain how they’ll contribute to a university community that is “welcoming to all” through a new revised admissions essay question.
The new question aims to maintain a diverse student body, and is one of several steps taken by a working group SU formed in anticipation of the affirmative action ruling. Ritter leads the group along with Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves.
“The work of this group will continue over the coming years to chart the path forward,” Ritter said. “We are taking numerous steps to ensure students from all backgrounds continue to apply and enroll.”
Going forward, the university will focus its undergraduate admissions and student outreach efforts on diverse populations by expanding its community-based organizations and recruitment of first-generation and low-income applicants, Ritter said.
The working group also examined SU’s legacy admissions policy and determined that no changes needed to be made to the policy as the university does not “simply admit” on the basis of legacy or family connection.
“Unlike the legacy practices of many elite universities, there is no set size or scale tipping in the admissions process at Syracuse,” Ritter said.
Ritter said legacy admissions are important in continuing a culture of diversity because students of color with alumni relatives have a “deep sense of connection” to the SU community that can drive strong interest in attending SU.
At the Senate meeting, Chancellor Kent Syverud said SU welcomed 22,948 students for the fall 2023 semester, the largest undergraduate enrollment in the university’s history. Syverud said the university was “more selective in our undergraduate admissions” than it had been over the last 25 years.
Ritter also addressed SU’s recent drop in the US News & World Report college ranking. SU fell to 67th overall, down five spots compared to last year.
Ritter cited new changes made to the ranking’s algorithm — including the removal, addition and reweighting of factors like class size, first-generation student outcomes and social mobility — as key reasons for SU’s drop. Many other private universities like The University of Chicago, Dartmouth and Washington University in St. Louis also declined in this year’s U.S. News and World Report ranking.
“We will be judged on the success of our students expressed in terms of retention and graduation rates, especially for students from less privileged backgrounds,” Ritter said. “And regardless of US News and World Report, student success is a top priority for this university.”
As part of SU’s new Academic Strategic Plan, the university outlined goals to improve its national ranking among peer higher education institutions by 2028, among other long-term academic benchmarks.
To solidify the university’s commitment to student success, the Senate announced it will expand student success programs in SU’s Office of Academic Affairs. Ritter added that student success is and should be a top priority of the university.
Syverud also addressed the recent addition of Stanford University, Southern Methodist University and University of California, Berkeley to the Atlantic Coast Conference. He said the new additions will provide stability in the short term but require SU to develop a strategy in the long term.
“Given the continuing change coming in intercollegiate athletics, I think we as a university need to be prepared for whatever comes and we need to be strongly positioned to be prominent in sports, including academically,” Syverud said.
At the meeting, Syverud also affirmed that SU’s new Sustainability Oversight Council will ensure the university is on track each year to meet its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2032, eight years earlier than its original target. In April, SU moved its net-zero goal from 2040 to 2032.
The university replaced the John A. Lally Athletics Complex’s arena lighting, which will reduce carbon emissions by 141 metric tons a year, Syverud said. The exterior lighting in front of Smith Hall, the Hall of Languages and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs were also updated over the summer.
The university has plans to update lighting in the Shaw Quadrangle and main parking lots on North Campus. SU also plans to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from SU’s science buildings.
Senators acknowledged throughout the meeting that SU faces significant challenges for the fall 2023 semester, including dealing with the SCOTUS affirmative action decision.
“There are issues facing our institution, such as the recent Supreme Court decision to not allow the consideration of race in admissions, other legislative efforts to constrain what and how faculty teach topics related to diversity and inclusion and the general antagonistic political discourse.” Agenda Committee Chair Kira Reed said.
Despite these issues, Syverud said he sees the challenges as an opportunity for SU to step up and lead in the face of adversity.
“This is a chance to really show the world, and certainly the higher education world, that Syracuse University really is a different place than others,” Syverud said.
