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The following essay details a debate between UC Berkeley and a Regent who made charges of discrimination against Asian American students that are similar to the current legal challenges facing Harvard University. The crux of such charges: on average, that one racial or ethnic group is more "qualified" than other groups, often underrepresented minorities, yet they have lower admissions rates. In 2004, Regent John Moores, convinced of discriminatory practices toward Asian-American students in the admissions process at Berkeley, did his own analysis of UC admissions data focused on SAT scores and that he publicized in the "LA Times" and other venues. Moores claimed his investigation provided clear evidence of discrimination. In the aftermath of California's Proposition 209 barring the use of race in admissions, Moores complained that Berkeley's adoption of a "holistic" review of applications reduced the importance of test scores by elevating subjective "measurements" that served as possibly illegal proxies for race and ethnicity. Conjuring memories of charges of discrimination in the 1980s by the Asian-American community regarding Berkeley's admissions processes, Moores asked, "How did the university get away with discriminating so blatantly against Asians?" For anti-affirmative action advocates, like Moores, standardized test scores were, and are, seen as the gold standard of academic ability since it is a "universal" measure unlike grades that are local assessments of abilities and subject to grade inflation. However, when compared to grades in high school, test scores have proven weak indicators of subsequent academic success at highly selective universities that must choose among a large pool of highly qualified students. Test scores also are not necessarily good measures for predicting the future engagement of students in the wide range of experiences and opportunities offered by major universities -- including public service, undergraduate research, and co-curricular activities. Anti-affirmative action advocates largely see admissions as a reward based on test scores and are not terribly concerned with the predictive validity of other admissions criteria. This essay concludes with a brief discussion of the similarities of Moores' analysis and charge of discrimination in admissions with that at Harvard, and the probable legal path toward a new Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

Like Berkeley, the UC system as a whole is quickly running out of space to accommodate the next generation of Californians who will be reaching college age by mid-century. Even with the added capacity at UC Merced, the UC system will run out of space on existing campuses in the next decade. In the normal course of events, this would trigger planning for another new general campus. Yet at a time when the university is still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession, the wisdom of an expensive new general campus is questionable. The need now is to rebuild and reinvest in existing campuses, not build a new one. These considerations suggest a different strategy for long-term enrollment growth than the UC system has followed in the past: Growing off-campus capacity at mature campuses. This paper describes a range of potential options for off-campus expansion, such as a branch campus at Berkeley. Such a strategy could accommodate the moderate level of enrollment growth projected for UC between now and mid-century and would be far less expensive than a new general campus. Expanding off-campus capacity at mature campuses like Berkeley could also channel new resources where the financial damage to academic programs and infrastructure has been greatest.

College and career pathways represent a significant national educational reform movement supported by federal, state, and philanthropic funders. High school pathways combine career and technical education with rigorous academics, work-based learning, and student supports to provide equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Strong research evidence supports this specific combination of interventions as a means to interrupt the opportunity gap and address the underlying causes of disparate high school outcomes. The "Measuring Educational Quality and Improvement in College and Career Pathways" symposium presented an opportunity to map what is known about measuring educational quality in college and career pathways, identify gaps in the research, and pinpoint strategic foci for moving policy and practice forward. This summary includes the symposium agenda, keynote speaker biographies, highlights from key presentations and discussions, a participant list, an annotated bibliography, overarching and individual proposal templates, and group proposals. This symposium is one of four hosted by the College & Career Academy Support Network (CCASN), in conjunction with other nationally renowned research-based organizations, which convene experts on topics related to college and career pathways.

The SAT is used for two purposes at the University of California. First is "eligibility": Determining whether applicants meet the minimum requirements for admission to the UC system. Second is "admissions selection": At high-demand campuses such as Berkeley, with many more eligible applicants than places available, test scores are used to select from among them. UC policy delegates authority to the faculty at each campus to establish local admissions procedures that reflect "campus values and academic priorities." Under the proposal outlined here, while retaining the test for eligibility, Berkeley would eliminate the SAT (and ACT) as a factor in local admissions decisions. There are strong reasons for doing so. With the advent of "holistic" review in Berkeley admissions, the SAT has become almost entirely redundant and adds little to the much richer body of information now available in applicants' files. After taking that information into account, the SAT predicts less than 2 percent of the variance in students' first-year grades at Berkeley. This introduces a considerable element of error in admissions decisions, as many students predicted to perform well actually perform worse than those with lower scores, and vice versa. Most troubling, the SAT has a severe adverse effect on admission of students of color beyond what is warranted by test validity. There is clear evidence, much of it produced by Berkeley researchers, that the SAT exhibits differential prediction, differential item functioning, and related psychometric issues when used with black and Latino examinees. National testing standards oblige colleges and universities to be sensitive to such issues, but in California, Proposition 209 bars sensitivity to race in admissions decisions. If Berkeley cannot consider race as a contextual factor in admissions, neither should it consider SAT scores. The cost of the SAT, in terms of its adverse impact on students of color, is far out of proportion with its marginal benefit as an indicator of student success at Berkeley.

The argument that cultural and other forms of diversity enhance the educational experience of all students is generally associated with post-1960 efforts to expand the presence of disadvantaged groups on the campuses of America's universities and colleges. Yet, in the case of UC Berkeley, arguments on the merits of cultural diversity have much earlier roots in the historical enrollment of international students. Debates in the late 1800s and early twentieth century revolved around the appropriateness of enrolling foreign students, particularly those from Asia. The result was an important intellectual discussion on the merits of diversity that was eventually reframed to focus largely on underrepresented domestic students. In this short essay, I discuss how the notion of diversity, and its educational benefits, first emerged as a value at UC Berkeley. I then briefly discuss the significant increase of international students at UC Berkeley and other public universities. Thus far, the primary impetus of this increase has been mostly financial--Berkeley has faced significant public disinvestment, seeks new revenue sources, and can charge international students tuition rates similar to elite private colleges and universities. By targeting 20 percent of all undergraduates as international or out-of-state (US-resident non-Californians)--the majority international--the Berkeley campus is essentially diversifying its student body. How does having more globally inclusive enrollment fit into our contemporary ideas of diversity? I attempt a brief discussion of this question and the policy challenges generated by the dramatic increase in international students at the undergraduate level at Berkeley and other UC campuses.

This white paper was prepared at the request of the Advisory Committee to the Athletic Study Center as a result of their concern over poor graduation rates in football as released by the NCAA in 2012. The paper received extensive review by the members of that committee as well as several other knowledgeable faculty and senior administrators before it was forwarded to the University Athletics Board in late May, 2013. It is based on a larger project being conducted with the Regional Oral History Office at the Bancroft Library. The purpose of the research is to explore the history of the management of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Berkeley from the 1960s to the present. The project began in 2009 and will include, when completed, approximately 70 oral history interviews of individuals who played key roles in the management of intercollegiate athletics over that period of time--Chancellors, Athletic Directors, senior administrators, Faculty Athletic Representatives, other key faculty members, directors of the Recreational Sports Program, alumni/donors, administrators in the Athletic Study Center and others. The interviews were conducted by John Cummins, Associate Chancellor-Chief of Staff, Emeritus who worked under Chancellors Heyman, Tien, Berdahl and Birgeneau from 1984-2008. Intercollegiate Athletics reported to him from 2004-2006. A publication of the results is underway and will be co-authored by Cummins and Kirsten Hextrum, a PhD student in the Graduate School of Education, a member and two-time national champion of Cal Women's Crew from 2003-2007, and a tutor/adviser in the Athletic Study Center since 2009. This paper addresses administrative and management issues that typically concern those responsible for the conduct of a Division I-A intercollegiate athletics program. It assumes that such a program will continue for many years to come and that it provides important benefits for the Cal community. Its focus is principally with the market driven, multi-billion dollar phenomenon of the big-time sports of Men's football and basketball, their development over time and their intersection with the academic world. The Olympic or non-revenue sports at UC Berkeley more closely resemble the amateur intercollegiate ideal with high graduation rates and successful programs. Even these sports programs, however, are gradually being pulled into the more highly commercialized model. Appended are: (1) Federal Graduation Rates for the Entering Cohorts 1999-2005; (2) Timeline of the History of Intercollegiate Athletics; and (3) Executive Summary.

Although the University of California, Berkeley has increased efforts to involve undergraduates in scientific research, little data exists regarding the number of undergraduate researchers. The University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) presents an opportunity to investigate the extent of undergraduate research involvement at the UC Berkeley. The data (N=5,347) show that the frequency of student participation in research under the direction of a faculty mentor varies significantly based on whether students are receiving course credit, pay, or working as a volunteer. Undergraduate research participation also varies between STEM majors and social science or humanities majors (non-STEM), with slightly more STEM majors participating. The data show that women are participating in STEM research opportunities at a lower rate than men but participating in non-STEM research opportunities at a higher rate than men. The data also show that Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islanders (AFP students) account for 50% of all undergraduate researchers in STEM fields and 35% of all non-STEM researchers. However, the data also reveal that African American, Chicano-Latino, AFP, White, American Indian, and international students are all participating at almost the exact same rate in undergraduate research (between 24% and 27% by ethnic or racial category). Further analysis regarding the relationship between undergraduate research experience and the highest parental education level reached, as well as high school grade-point average and standardized test scores (SAT I and ACT) is presented. Implications for higher education administrators, education researchers, faculty mentors, and undergraduate students are discussed. (Contains 10 tables.)

The Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library (West Virginia) conducted a project that involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, computer assisted, other technology, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a three-county community of 50,000-100,000 and targeted inmates of correctional institutions, homebound, seniors/older citizens, migrant workers, ESL, and pre-GED learners. Tutoring was done one-on-one and in small groups, using the Laubach and Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) methods. The program served more than 250 adult learners, and provided 7,020 hours of direct tutoring service. The report provides a comparison of actual accomplishments to goals and objectives set forth in the grant application; comparison between proposed and actual expenditures; specific details of activities undertaken; the role the library played in the accomplishment of the goals and objectives; agencies and organizations that assisted in the project; and the impact of the federal project on the ongoing program of the library. Attachments include: progress sheets, telephone information form, learner update report and permanent record, recruitment brochure, tutor retention questionnaire, newsletters, recruitment bookmarks and business cards, and library display advertising the literacy office. (SWC)

University of California (UC) Berkeley's chief academic officer explores the historical sources of Berkeley' academic excellence. He identifies five key factors: (1) wealth from many sources; (2) supportive and skilled governors; (3) leadership from key UC presidents; (4) the pioneering ethos within the State of California; and (5) a process of continuous devolution of authority within the State and the University. He then addresses the extent to which these factors continue as causal drivers today. He concludes by identifying optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, based on contrasting assumptions about the strength of those causal drivers, and ends with a call for the State and the UC system not to inhibit efforts by UCB's leaders to do what is needed to sustain Berkeley's academic excellence. (Contains 14 footnotes.)

The importance of diversity and inclusion to higher education was the focus of intense legal and social scientific analysis in the decisions of the United States Supreme Court concerning affirmative action at the University of Michigan. The leadership of higher education and several other sectors of society offered overwhelming support, and a significant amount of evidence, for the proposition that student diversity--specifically the racial and ethnic diversity there at issue--is a compelling interest. The academic leaders of the University of California have similarly concluded that inclusion is central to its mission, and at Berkeley, Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau has made it among his chief priorities. The immediate challenge is how to secure this dimension of institutional mission despite the constraints on means thought to be created by Proposition 209, which in 1996 amended California's constitution to prohibit most forms of voluntary public sector affirmative action, denominated "preferences." The purpose of this brief report is to provide an analytical framework for evaluating diversity-related programs at the University of California-Berkeley in light of federal legal principles and applicable state law to help ensure that these programs effectively advance institutional goals, appropriately balance legal risk, and protect the rights of all persons. This report includes: (1) A summary and analysis of the prevailing federal and state legal standards applicable to the use of race in the higher education context, including Proposition 2094; and (2) A framework for cataloging and analyzing current and potential diversity-related programs with respect to their potential impact on diversity and their level of legal risk. (Contains 9 resources and 36 footnotes.) [Foreword by Christopher Edley, Jr.]

The current study focuses on the stigmatization and psychosocial experiences of community college transfer students within the university setting. Two hundred and sixty-three students nearing the completion of their studies at UC Berkeley responded to a series of open-ended questions about their academic, social, and psychological experiences at the university. Results indicate that nearly one-fifth of the respondents concealed the fact that they were transfer students at least once in the past and approximately one-fourth reported experiences of transfer-related rejection. Furthermore, those who reported experiences of rejection were more likely to conceal that they had transferred into the university than those who did not experience such rejection. Despite these reported experiences of concealment and rejection, the overall group of surveyed transfer students in this study proved to be academically successful. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed. Three appendixes present additional tables and figures and participant responses.(Contains 4 notes, 1 figure, and 4 tables.)

The University of California faces the challenge of increasing the diversity of students graduating from its medical schools while also adhering to mandated restrictions on the use of race or ethnicity in the admissions process. Students from diverse backgrounds who gain admission as undergraduates to UC Berkeley and express an early interest in a medical career are an important potential source of medical students for the UC system. However previous data suggest that many of these undergraduate students lose interest in a medical career and never apply to medical school. We report on research that tracked the strength of students' interest in a medical career from freshman matriculation through the end of sophomore year. Comparing students by self-described racial or ethnic group, we found a sharp decline in interest among all groups. We then interviewed a stratified sample of these students, asking what factors contributed to the observed decline in interest in premedical studies. Negative experience in science courses, principally chemistry, was the main factor contributing to students' loss of interest. The adverse impact of chemistry courses was reported disproportionately by students from underrepresented minority groups, causing many of them to turn away from a possible medical career. If the UC system hopes to increase the diversity of its undergraduates who go on to medical school, it may need to reassess the structure and content of its undergraduate science curriculum, principally chemistry. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure and 5 notes.)