1

Legacy Admissions: Ethics Reflection

Trent R. Gilbert

Georgia Southern University

EDLD 8439, Fall 2017

Professor Barry Dotson

October 11, 2017

 2

Legacy Admission: Ethics Reflection

Summary

In American higher education, the issue of using race in college admission has been a

topic of discussion since the inception of the first institution. The topic of race in admission is

still being by todays mainstream media. As the topic of race is discussed many insiders are

wonder how else is the admissions system is rigged. Most recently, as the topic of race-based

admission is discussed, it is paired in the industry media with the topic of Legacy Admissions.

The crux of the legacy admission issue is the question Do applicants of alumni receive

preferential treatment in the college admission?. Many are wondering if colleges are told not to

consider race and ethnicity, why is it OK for them to consider alumni statusa factor that these

days overwhelmingly benefits white applicants, many of them wealthy (Jaschik, 2017).

One on side of the topic you have people like Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at

the Century Foundation saying, the system is rigged against disadvantaged students, and legacy

preferences are the most blatant example (Hoover, 2017). On the other side of the topic are

advocates for underrepresented students saying legacies are easy scapegoats for all the

inequities in higher education. And colleges arent likely to stop coveting the offspring of alumni

unless forced to do so (Hoover, 2017). The use of a students legacy status in college admission

is an ethic dilemma in higher education.

Reflection

For me this topic hits very close to home. As someone who works in the field of

admission and enrollment each day, I am tasked with achieving the institutions enrollment goals.

Often these goals entail enrolling a diverse class of students. For me, the idea behind enrolling a
 3

diverse class is deeper than skin color. When I think about the diversity of a class it includes;

gender, geographic, socioeconomic, racial, ethic, and special interest diversity. A good

enrollment manager shapes a class to create a diverse class and if there is any one group where

the diversity is skewed, then the enrollment manager hasnt successfully done their job. This

includes the over enrollment of legacy students. I believe that enrollment managers should be

making admission decisions based on the personal merits of the application, then the above

factors, and should not be making an admissions decision solely on an applicants legacy status.

There must be a balance in using legacy status in enrollment management.

The industry news coverage of this topic appears to be fair. The article in the Chronicle

of Higher Education (Hoover, 2017) presents both sides of the issue in a way that makes a

professional think about the implications of the topic. I believe that most people think that

colleges shouldnt be using a students legacy status when making admission decisions, and this

article makes a case to explain to the reader why it might make sense for some institutions. The

coverage of the same topic in Inside Higher Education (Jaschik, 2017) attempted to look at

national data. I felt that this analysis was lacking enough data to be able to make a worthwhile

case on either side of topic. Overall, the data associated with legacy admission is the area where

the coverage of this topic is insufficient. I wonder how many students are getting admitted to

intuitions just based on their legacy status.

Implications

While the topic of legacy admissions might seem relatively inconsequential in the big

picture of American higher education, it is the duty of all enrollment professionals to question

the process by which legacy applicants are treated. This is especially true at some of the most

selective institutions in the country. At many of these institutions there is a push to change the
 4

public image to one where that shows that they are accessible and affordable for all students.

There is even a group of 113 institutions that have formed the Coalition for Access,

Affordability, and Success. While these institutions pride themselves on reviewing an applicant

for more than a test score and GPA, these are the same schools that are often impacted the

greatest by legacy admission standards.

It is an ethical balance that an enrollment professional must strike. As an enrollment

manager, I see this dilemma each year, balancing the institutions diversity goals with those of a

place that is dependent on alumni giving. My good friend Rick Clark, the director of

undergraduate admission at Georgia Institute of Technology, summarizes why legacy applicants

appeal to colleges, the financial model hinges on having our own alumni constantly connected

to this place for the rest of their lives, that really is critical for the economic viability of

institutions going forward (Hoover, 2017). I believe it is important to balance both sides of this

issue and that this is an ethic issue for institutions that they need to determine how they will act,

without the interference of government regulation.

 5

References

Hoover, Eric. (2017, August 3). Wait, will anyone investigate legacy admission?. The Chronicle

of Higher Education. Retrieved from: http://www.chronicle.com/article/Wait-Will-

Anyone-Investigate/240850

Jaschik, Scott. (2017, August 21). Data provides insights into advantages and qualifications of

legacy applicants. Insider Higher Ed. Retrieved from:

https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2017/08/21/data-provide-insights-

advantages-and-qualifications-legacy-applicants