Harvard Magazine: "End Legacy Admissions"

At this year's commencement, Harvard president Lawrence H. Summers talked at length about the widening inequality gap in the United States and mentioned a number of initiatives Harvard is taking to address the problem ("In the Temper of the Times," July-August, page 46).

Immediately before Summers's speech, Robert G. Stone Jr. read off the impressive fundraising achievements of reunion classes. He drew attention to the fact that two reunion chairs had the same last name and said that this was the kind of tradition we would like to maintain at Harvard. His proclamation was met with applause from some members of the audience, including briefly from Summers.

It is wonderful to have successive generations of the same family attend Harvard and then commit considerable time and effort to the University. Their contributions, though, would be even more impressive without the fact that children of alumni get "an ever so slight tip." This "tradition" stands in striking contrast to the University's commitment to educational equality. In the words of the Economist magazine, it is a "helping hand for those who least need it."

Coming from well-educated and relatively wealthy parents, our (future) children will already have an enormous advantage in the college admissions process. Should they ever decide to apply to and be accepted at Harvard, we would not want them to have any doubt in their minds that it is because of their abilities and future potential — not because their parents are Harvard alumni. We urge Harvard to end its policy of favoring children of alumni in the college admissions process.

Gernot Wagner '02
Siripanth Nippita '00
Cambridge

Published as Letter to the Editor in the September-October 2004 issue of Harvard Magazine.

Unedited letter addressed to President Summers, with list of supporters:

Cambridge, July 3, 2004

End Legacy Admissions at Harvard

Dear President Summers:

At this year's Commencement exercises, you talked at length about the widening inequality gap in the United States and mentioned a number of initiatives Harvard is taking to address the problem. You also said that the college admissions process is trying to put each student's achievements in the context of his or her "background and the circumstances under which credentials have been achieved," adding that private SAT prep courses are among "the least economically diverse in America." Despite these pronouncements, Harvard College continues to defend its admissions policy of giving applications from children of alumni an "additional look."

Immediately before your speech, Robert G. Stone Jr., chair of the Committee on University Resources, read off the impressive fundraising achievements of Harvard reunion classes. He drew attention to the fact that two college class reunion chairs had the same last name and said that this was the kind of tradition we would like to maintain at Harvard. His proclamation was met with applause from some members of the audience, including briefly from you.

It is wonderful to have successive generations of the same family attend Harvard and then commit considerable time and effort to the university. Their contributions, though, would be even more impressive without the fact that children of alumni get "an ever so slight tip." This "tradition" stands in striking contrast to the university's commitment to educational equality. In the words of The Economist magazine, it is a "helping hand for those who least need it."

With your admirable effort to address the problem of educational inequality, you are sending a strong message that "Harvard is - really and truly - an option for exceptionally talented students whatever their financial means." It is, however, diluted by the conflicting message that children of alumni receive that additional look.

Coming from well-educated and relatively wealthy parents, our (future) children will already have an enormous advantage in the college admissions process. Should they ever decide to apply to and be accepted at Harvard, we would not want them to have any doubt in their minds that it is because of their abilities and future potential - not because their parents are Harvard alumni.

We urge Harvard to end its policy of favoring children of alumni in the college admissions process.

Sincerely,

Gernot Wagner '02
Siripanth Nippita '00

Avik Chatterjee '02
Kimberly L. Collins '02
Rohit Goel '02
Daniel B. Giffin '99
James Grimmelmann '99
Rita Hamad '03
Michael D. Hartl '96
Myung H. Joh '02
Jonathan G. Koomey '84
John L. Larew '91
Darryl Li '01
Tse Wei Lim '02
Erika Lundquist '99
Adam Marlowe '02
Chris Meserole '02
Nicholas Murphy '02
Zuzanna Olszewska '01
Marisa Perez '99
Michael Prokosch '70
Brian Questad '00/'01
Sanjay Reddy '91, A.M. '95, Ph.D. '00
Dianne Reis '93
Lori Rifkin '00
Travis Schedler '02
Dale Shuger '00
Caroline Stanculescu '00
Mary Ann Walter '00
Calvin C. Wei '00

Further notes on prior website, gwagner.net/legacy, published on September 13, 2004:

Dear Reader:

The original version of this letter, dated June 10, 2004, concluded with the statement that its signatories "will not donate any money to Harvard as long as it continues its policy of favoring children of alumni in its college admissions process." Several alumni have since contacted us saying that they would support a petition urging Harvard to end its "legacy" admissions, but not if it involves a commitment of withholding donations. Having benefited enormously from Harvard's generous financial aid program ourselves, we fully understand this position. We have now changed the last paragraph of the letter accordingly.

If you agree with us and want Harvard to stop its "legacy" admissions, please email us your name, class, degree (if other than college), and post.harvard.edu-email address, and we will add you to this open letter to President Summers.

Gernot & Siripanth

Further readings:

"The Legacy of Legacies" by Jerome Karabel, Op-Ed, The New York Times (September 13, 2004).

"Bush, a Yale Legacy, Says Colleges Should Not Give Preference to Children of Alumni," The New York Times (August 7, 2004).

"Herkunft bestimmt Karrierechancen [German: Birth determines career prospects]," Die Presse (August 4, 2004).

 "College Admissions and Legacies," Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio (January 15, 2004).

"The curse of nepotism," The Economist (January 8, 2004).

"The Senate and Alumni Admissions" by Josh Gerstein, Op-Ed, New York Sun (November 6, 2003).

"How Affirmative Action Helped George W." by Michael Kinsley, Time (January 21, 2003).

"Family Ties: Preference for Alumni Children In College Admission Draws Fire" by Daniel Golden, The Wall Street Journal (January 15, 2003).

"Legacies in Black and White: The Racial Composition of the Legacy Pool" by Cameron Howell and Sarah E. Turner, NBER Working Paper No. w9448 (January 2003).

"A Second Look: Attacking Legacy Preference" by Jesse Shapiro, Perspective (November 1997).

"Why Are Droves of Unqualified, Unprepared Kids Getting into Our Top Colleges? Because Their Dads Are Alumni" by John Larew, Washington Monthly (June 1991): p. 10-14.

Communication about open letter:

Response to a letter by Richard Melvoin, Harvard Board of Overseers.

"End Legacy Admissions," Harvard Magazine, Letter to the Editor (September-October 2004): p. 11-12.