Columbia College considering selective-enrollment admissions policy
BY FRANCINE KNOWLES Staff Reporter fknowles@suntimes.com May 24, 2012 2:28PM
Updated: July 3, 2012 9:43AM
Columbia College Chicago is considering altering its admissions policies to be more selective as part of a Blueprint for Action 2016 strategic plan that could hurt some students if approved. To be admitted as a freshman at Columbia, ACT or SAT scores are not required. The college, which has an enrollment of close to 12,000, requires transcripts of high school academic records or a GED, an essay and a letter of recommendation. According to the blueprint, the last comprehensive examination of the college’s admissions policy took place roughly 10 years ago. A Columbia associate professor who chose to remain anonymous contended that a more selective admissions policy would hurt some students. Over the years, many have viewed the college as “a school of second chances,” he said. “I think that it’s going to be detrimental to kids coming out of Chicago Public Schools who maybe didn’t have the best education, who looked at Columbia as ‘This is somewhere . . . I’m going to have a chance to succeed,’ ” he said. “If the admissions gets more selective, then those kids are going to have less options available.” But he noted that even the most liberal professors at the college think some changes are necessary.
Columbia spokeswoman Diane Doyne declined to discuss specifics of the plan.
“Like many institutions, Columbia at times re-examines its admissions standards and enrollment policies,” she said. “The President’s plan recommends that the interim provost and vice president of student affairs closely examine these standards and policies. However, no decisions have been made at this time, as the plan is subject to adoption by the Board of Trustees in late June. It would be premature to discuss specific implementation details at this stage.”
