NEW YORK DESK - In a bold move to restore the integrity to higher education, university trustees of the City University of New York Tuesday instituted radical reform measures establishing tough academic standards for admission of incoming Freshman.
The University's board voted to exclude any student from its four-year colleges who cannot demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics.
The board meeting was interrupted by organized protests from students, and even faculty members. Police said they arrested twenty-four people
after the board's chairwoman, Anne Paolucci, asked them to clear
the room.
In the end, the board voted 9-6 to approve new academic standards for admission that received the praise of mayor Rudolph Giuliani and backed by governor George Pataki.
Giuliani praised the trustees stand, saying 'They were under
tremendous pressure to defeat the proposal, and they should take
great pride in their action. Their vote sends a powerful message
that [City University of New York] is starting the important and difficult process of restoring its reputation as one of the great public institutions of higher learning in the country.'
In a stunning admission the board's spokesperson Ann Paolucci told reporters '...We are cleaning out the four-year colleges and putting
remediation where it belongs.'
The bold measure will begin taking with the entering Freshman Class in September 1999, and is expected to eliminate nearly 13,000 freshmen and transfer students annually. Nearly half of the present entering Freshman Class fail one or more placement tests of basic skills in reading, writing, and math subjects that all entering students must take across the nation.
Those who fail to pass the admission exam will no longer be given remediation coursework at the University. Remediation classes at Community Colleges in New York will continue to be appropriate for students who lack basic academic skills to meet the rigors necessary to pursue degrees at the State university.
University admission standards have been eroding since American universities introduced the policy of open admissions in 1970 that resulted in significantly lowering academic standards for graduation.
Trustees hope that re-establishing academic integrity to university admissions will raise the value of the diploma.
