Like most parents, I have watched and read with intrigue and sadness the unfolding of the college admissions scandal. I am a parent of a high school senior who has been admitted to six universities in New England. I’m proud of her hard work – academically and athletically. She is an honors student, all-state in soccer, and heavily involved in co-curricular activities including yearbook, orientation, and class council – all while working to earn her own money. She lovingly served her community through the Special Olympics and aspires to impact lives through healthcare.
Despite a long career in higher education advancement, as well as serving my alma mater as a volunteer Admissions Ambassador, I didn’t have any influence on where she applied, where she got in, or where she may attend. Maybe that’s not entirely true. We have raised an independent-minded young woman with a strong work ethic who cares deeply about others. We helped guide her to make good decisions and have been clear that her academic, athletic, and career journey is hers, not ours. We love her enough to let her stumble and struggle to find her own way.
My now 90-year old father taught his seven children the value of a dollar, hard work, and the importance of intellectual curiosity. He is the son of Irish immigrants with no education – my grandfather was illiterate and my grandmother dropped out in the 7th grade to work to support her brothers and sisters after both of her parents died. Despite my grandparents’ circumstances, they valued education and the opportunities available in America to rise past one’s social and economic condition. The great social elevator that is education transformed my family’s socioeconomic trajectory in just one generation.
As a fundraiser, it’s not hard for me to ask for the financial support of education. It’s personal. When you live the impact yourself, and you watch so many students benefit from the transformational experience of higher education, you learn to value it. I am disheartened to see the ideals of access and affordability – what my colleagues in educational advancement work on every day – corrupted by those willing to shortcut the path. This so-called “side door” has no place in higher education and those who worked their way into school through the front door recognized the unfairness immediately.
It’s not enough to assert that the majority of students are admitted without favor from the financial influence of their families. All things being equal, it’s great that those with means can and will give to support higher education. There are many generous families whose children are admitted legitimately. But taking a gift upfront and admitting a student who does not merit admission, serves neither the student nor the university’s mission.
I will continue to support education both through my work and my own philanthropy. It’s my way of honoring my family’s values and influencing affordability and accessibility for those that work hard, but struggle financially. Great power can come from the collective if we so choose. For example, if all 109,000 alumni of my alma mater made a gift of $25 annually, each year 109 of the students with the greatest financial need could attend and graduate with no debt. That’s a powerful way to keep the educational front door open and the great social elevator moving in the right direction.