Influential Texans helped underqualified students get into UT

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN — Dozens of highly influential Texans — including lawmakers, millionaire donors and university regents — helped underqualified students get into the University of Texas, often by writing to UT officials, records show.

Among those who wrote directly to then-President Bill Powers and then-Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, bypassing the admissions office, were famed golfer and UT grad Ben Crenshaw, former UT regent H. Scott Caven Jr., Austin lawyer Roy Minton and Sens. Kevin Eltife and Carlos Uresti, records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show.

Dozens of other famous Texans, many of them UT alumni, also helped tip the scales. They include House Speaker Joe Straus, former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former Regents Jess Hay and Tom Hicks, former chairman of the state University Coordinating Board Larry Temple and former UT quarterback Randy McEachern.

The letters surfaced through an outside investigation into the admissions process, known as the Kroll report. The investigation highlighted 73 students from 2009 to 2014 who entered the state’s premier campus despite relatively low high school grade averages (less than 2.9 on the 4.0 scale) and SAT scores of less than 1100. Such marks would usually have precluded their admission.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150720-influential-texans-helped-underqualified-students-get-into-ut.ece

[exboyfil]

1. The student “is certainly from a very fine and highly respected family.”

If I got such a recommendation it would go into the circular file immediately. If anything it detracts from the achievements of the child - a lot easier to advance if you were born on 2nd or 3rd base.

[Gothmog]

2. Many students got into UT based on political connections of their parents