William Bowen to lecture on race-sensitive admissions

William G. Bowen, co-author of the new book “The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions,” will speak at UW–Madison Wednesday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m.

William Bowen

See also: Research findings support use of race-sensitive admissions

Bowen is a former president of Princeton University and now president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which focuses much of its work on higher education. He wrote “The Shape of the River” with Derek Bok, former president of Harvard University.

Bowen will speak on the effects of race-sensitive admissions policies April 7 in the Memorial Union Theater. Free tickets will become available at the Union box office on March 29 to faculty, staff, students and Union members (one ticket per person) and on April 5 to the public if tickets remain.

Union box office hours are 11:30-5:30 weekdays and noon-5 p.m. Saturday. After 7:20 p.m., people unable to get tickets will be allowed to take remaining seats.

“The Shape of the River” is the first large-scale study to examine the actual effects of race-sensitive admissions on the lives of students both during and after college. Bowen and Bok drew on a database of 45,000 students of all races who entered 28 selective colleges and universities in 1976 and 1989.

“Overall,” Bowen and Bok write, “we conclude that academically selective colleges and universities have been highly successful in using race-sensitive admission policies to advance educational goals important to them and societal goals important to everyone.”

It is only by examining the college careers and the subsequent lives of students – or, to use the Mark Twain metaphor, by learning the shape of the entire river – that we can make an informed judgment of university admissions policies, they say.

Sponsoring Bowen’s visit to UW–Madison are the Chancellor’s Office, the School of Education, the Wisconsin Union Directorate and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.