College Ponders Reducing Recruited Athlete Admits

Author: Claire Bourne News Editor

Middlebury College anticipates a reduction of up to 10 percent on athlete admissions beginning with the Class of 2006 in response to recent scrutiny over the role of athletics in the admissions process at New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) member schools. According to Dean of Enrollment Planning Michael Schoenfeld, the reduction will only apply to those applicants whose credentials do not meet "a predefined average," composed of test scores, grades and subjective factors, such as extracurricular activities.

The Washington Post reported in late December that half of the 11 NESCAC schools, including Middlebury, had announced plans to accept fewer students "for whom prowess in athletics was the difference between being admitted and being rejected." Williams College, Amherst College and Wesleyan University, otherwise known as the "Little Three," publicized plans last month to shrink athlete admissions in next fall's incoming class from 72 students to 66. In an article in the Jan. 11 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Bowdoin College President Barry Mills said the number would drop from 99 to 79 at the Maine institution.

Unlike other NESCAC schools, Middlebury has yet to formulate a definition of its "average student" — the profile against which all applicants, especially those recommended by coaches, would be assessed.

Once defined, reducing the number of athletic admits below this standard would prevent the benchmark from being lowered. It would also "provide incentive to the coaches to find student-athletes who are at or above our academic averages," said Schoenfeld.

President John McCardell explained, "Given a certain definition of recruited athlete that excluded from the definition legacies, diversity candidates, candidates with board scores at or above the average of all applicants, skiiers — who are also grandfathered in the NESCAC constitution — and athletes who do not compete in conference-scheduled sports, we could affect approximately the same percentage reduction in that category of applicant [10 percent] as the 'Little Three.'"

This alteration in the admissions process would not necessarily reduce the number of athletes in an entering class. It would, however, ensure that all accepted student-athletes embody both athletic and academic excellence.

Schoenfeld continued, "Since we've increased the awareness of this issue in our office and with our coaches, the standards need to be raised equally if not more for athletes."

Although the College has not generated a concrete number of under average student-athlete admits, Schoenfeld said he expects the figure to drop by 10 percent for the Class of 2006.

President John McCardell, however, explained that "it is impossible to guarantee any specific percentage of the class or any specific reduction from the previous year" because the College can not guarantee "both acceptance and matriculation."

He affirmed, however, that "the last 10 percent of names coaches submit will get special scrutiny, and they may not be offered admission."

While he is hesitant to predict the percentage decline in under average student-athlete admits, he said "we are likely to see a lower percentage of recruited athletes as matriculants next year than we did last year, perhaps as much as a 10 percent reduction."

Schoenfeld stressed, "No one is admitted [to Middlebury] just for athletics." Citing the even distribution of female athletes in the bottom, middle and top thirds of the student body, he emphasized the College's commitment to the NESCAC ideal that "student-athletes be representative of the student body as a whole."

The NESCAC schools are currently attempting "to create the accurate response to the concerns raised" in "The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values" by William G. Bowen and James L. Schulman, Schoenfeld continued.

The book, published in December 2000, revealed that athletes enjoy a significant advantage in the university admissions process and, once enrolled, tend not to perform as well as students at large in the classroom.

A follow-up study, commissioned by the NESCAC presidents and conducted by Bowen and Schulman, confirmed these trends at NESCAC member schools. The report, which addressed the participation of male and female athletes and non-athletes in intercollegiate athletics, academic performance, recruitment and admissions, was presented to the presidents in late September 2001.

Schoenfeld said the decision to create a yardstick by which all applicants would be measured was "more a concern over trend rather than absolutely where we are now."

According to several key administrators, although the emphasis on athletics in the admissions process has not been perceived as a problem at Middlebury, Schoenfeld acknowledged that the trend in recent years has been towards the acceptance of more athletes.

"We're saying that this is a good time to reverse the trend and keep the balance we have now, even roll back a little bit," he said.

Director of Athletics Russ Reilly refuted the claim that Middlebury was "out of balance" but said he accepted the College's decision to check itself. "It's a responsible thing for the institution to do," he commented.

The Post quoted several NESCAC college officials who said that "some coaches and parents are worried that the cut in athlete admissions is a veiled attempt to dismantle sports programs." Schoenfeld said he "strongly" disagreed.

"All you have to do is look around at the investment the NESCAC schools have made in sports and see that there is a commitment to support that," he elucidated.

Reilly said, "I don't think the intent of [President John McCardell] is to eliminate athletics."

Schoenfeld recognized that one "legitimate outcome" of reducing below-average athlete admissions could be that some of Middlebury's teams would not compete nationally at quite as high of a level.

"If you're not able to find outstanding student-athletes that are at [the College's] average, then you may end up with athletic teams that aren't quite as competitive," he explained.

Admissions officers from NESCAC member schools will convene to further discuss the reduction in athlete admissions, in addition to related topics during their February meeting.

"We've been working to define terms over the last few years," Schoenfeld said. "Now there's more incentive after the Bowen [and Schulman] book to come up with some common definitions so we can monitor what we're doing."

The creation of a new athletic league to include highly selective liberal arts institutions is also up for discussion in the near future. Reilly said the idea "has some merit" but that it was "too early to tell" whether the concept would materialize. "More highly selective schools [including institutions such as Carleton College and Pomona College] should be brought together."The time has come for that," he continued.