Harvard University and Princeton University will reinstate non-binding early action programs for undergraduate applicants to the Class of 2016, The Harvard Crimson and The Daily Princetonian reported on Thursday. While prospective students will be unable to apply early to other universities, they will not be required to accept the admission offer to Harvard or Princeton until the spring. Both universities terminated their early admission programs in 2006, citing disadvantages to low-income and minority applicants. Although Princeton had hoped other universities would follow suit and eliminate their early decision programs, such a shift never occurred, Princeton President Shirley Tilghman said in an interview with The Princetonian. After evaluating their policy changes, both universities determined that students who would have likely applied to their respective institutions instead chose other schools that offered early decision options. By restoring its early action program, Harvard hopes to attract more "top-caliber" students who were choosing to accept early action decisions at other schools, Harvard Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael Smith said in an interview with The Crimson. Along with improving its overall applicant pool, Princeton also seeks to diversify its applicant pool, The Princetonian reported. Harvard, which had considered reviving its early decision program since the beginning of the current academic year, plans to institute additional recruiting programs to target underrepresented groups and increase undergraduate financial aid next year, according to The Crimson. The University of Virginia, which also terminated its early decision program in 2006, reinstated its program in November, The Crimson reported.
The Utah House of Representatives Education Committee voted not to prevent professors from gaining tenure at state universities in a 9-3 vote on Wednesday, Deseret News reported. The defeated legislation House Bill 485 sought to prohibit any higher education insitution from offering tenure after July 1, 2011. While markets in which individuals compete for jobs lead to an improvement in overall employee quality, tenure contradicts such a principal, State Rep. Christopher Herrod, R-Provo, who sponsored House Bill 485, said in an interview with Deseret News. Herrod cited the difficult economic climate as further justification for his proposal. William Sederburg, Utah's commissioner of higher education, expressed opposition to the bill, explaining that tenure is the best way to secure high-quality teachers. Most less-capable faculty are "weeded out" through the tenure process, Sederburg said in an interview with Deseret News. Since the bill was first introduced, Herrod amended the writing to allow the state's two research institutions, the University of Utah and Utah State University, to sign 10-year contracts with professors, according to Deseret News.
