Senate Bill No. 0506-06
UNIVERSITY SENATE
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Introduced by:
Undergraduate Academic Council and
University Planning and Policy Council
Date:
November 21, 2005
PROPOSAL TO REVISE ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES FOR FRESHMAN
SEEKING ACCOUNTING OR BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MAJORS
IT IS HEREBY PROPOSED THAT THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED:
1.
That the attached proposal be approved allowing “Group 1” freshman admit
students who wish to major in business administration or accounting to be
admitted directly to those majors.
2.
That this change become effective with the Fall 2006 semester.
3.
That this bill be forwarded to the President for approval.
Rationale: UAC and UPC have carefully reviewed the proposal, which credibly serves
the University admissions goals. The UAC is also satisfied with the School of Business’
rationale that the proposed change will not have a negative impact on the admission of
other students pursuing these major programs who enter the University as freshmen or as
transfers.
A Proposal to Revise Enrollment Procedures for Freshman Seeking
Accounting or Business Administration Majors
Background and Rationale
In 1995, under the leadership of then Dean of Undergraduate Studies Sung Bok Kim and
the faculty of the School of Business, the University Senate adopted a policy that allowed
freshmen entering the University to be guaranteed the ability to major in Business
Administration or Accounting if they met admissions conditions (i.e., completing a set of
specified courses with at least a B- (2.7) average and earning an overall GPA of 3.0)
during their first two years of study.
This change was motivated, in part, by the perception that high ability and well-prepared
students interested in a business administration or accounting major were not choosing
the University at Albany because they could not be assured of admission into their desired
major at the time of their admission as a freshman. Indeed, the School of Business
admissions process at the time required students not only to perform at the academic level
described above, but also to compete against the pool of applicants for a fixed number of
spaces in business administration and accounting. As a result, a number of students who
met the academic admission criteria were rejected on the basis of space available. A
secondary effect of this practice on enrollment was the transfer-out of students who were
not admitted. It was anticipated that once the policy was changed, this barrier to the
recruitment of top students would disappear because the admissions requirements were
clear and unchanging.
Our experience, however, does not bear that out. First, there still remains a secondary
admissions “gate” through which qualified students have to pass. Even the best prepared
students do not always have confidence that they will be as successful as required and
seek as much guarantee and certainty as possible when they are weighing their college
choice decision. Second, until they are admitted into the School of Business as juniors,
these students do not “belong” to the School. Assistant Dean Albina Grignon held a
focus group with some Albany students and they indicated that one difference to
prospective students between Albany and other universities to which they applied for
admission is that direct admission to a business school connects them to a place – a
“home” on the campus. At Albany, students spend the first two years being advised by an
assigned academic advisor in ASC or EOP and do not otherwise “belong” to the School
of Business.
There is also empirical evidence to support the need for the proposed change in
admissions policy. Since the University has begun to pay close attention to its ability to
recruit “Group 1” students to meet the specific objectives for academic profile that are
part of SUNY’s Mission Review process, we are finding that Group 1 students are not
enrolling at UAlbany in the numbers sought by the School of Business. In Fall 2005, 386
Group 1 students were admitted with the intended major of business administration or
accounting, but only 60 (15.7%) deposited. In Fall 2004, 464 Group 1 students with the
intended major of business administration or accounting were admitted, but only 69
(14.8%) enrolled.
Proposal
Based on these data as well as anecdotal survey responses from non-enrolling students,
the School of Business has concluded that it will be more successful in attracting top tier
students if these students are immediately and unconditionally admitted as business
administration or accounting majors. The direct admission of freshmen into schools and
colleges of business is a common practice, so such a policy has the potential to improve
the competitive position for the University at Albany.
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A review of the performance of the Group 1 students who enrolled in Fall 2003 revealed
that all but a few students earned the necessary grades for eventual admission in the
School. Most of the students who did not maintain an overall GPA that would have
qualified them for admission to the School of Business maintained an overall GPA high
enough to have been eligible to continue at the University in another major.
The School of Business also proposes that a direct admissions policy be supplemented by
an enriched experience for students in their freshman and sophomore years to affirm their
“membership” in the School of Business and to retain them as University students.
Because direct admission alone is probably not be enough to attract top tier students, the
School of Business proposes to combine this change in admission practice with the
creation of a “learning community” for the freshman and sophomore year. This enriched
program is expected to support student satisfaction and retention and will include:
 Special sections of School of Business core courses (e.g., BLAW220, BACC211)
and/or special sections of courses that satisfy general education requirements.
 Dual academic advisement that will include a primary academic advisor in the
Advisement Services Center and a secondary advisor in the School of Business. Dual
advisement strengthens students’ membership in the School of Business and insures
that students who decide not to continue as accounting or business administration
majors have a continuing academic advisor.
 Assignment of a peer mentor from the School of Business Dean’s Leadership Council.
 Invitation to School of Business student events and activities that include students
 Possibly a living cluster in a residence hall – either within current honors housing or in
a separate facility – that will be utilized as a Learning Community
The number of students admitted through this track will be limited. The limit will be
determined by the Dean of the School, the Provost, and the Vice Provost for Enrollment
Management. The limit will be based on the final total undergraduate enrollment target
allocated to the School of Business, the target for transfer students, and the number
spaces reserved for native University at Albany students admitted at the junior year.
It is expected that the impact of this change will take several years to gain momentum.
The School of Business intends to engage in vigorous recruitment activity to develop the
applicant pool and to increase yield of admitted Group 1 student. This will include
communication, special events, and campus visit programs involving faculty, students and
alumni of the School as well as participation in all University recruitment events.
No other changes are proposed to the School of Business admission policy. Thus,
students not admitted as freshmen will still be able to qualify for admission to the School
of Business through existing routes outlined in current policy; transfer admission policies
will remain unchanged as well.
While the details of the University-wide Honors College are not finalized, it is our
expectation that students admitted directly to the School of Business will be able to
participate fully and seamlessly in this program.
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Conclusion
The current low yield rate of top students provides strong evidence that a change in
practice is worth pursuing. Moreover, the University at Albany has not been able to
make marked improvements in its ability to increase the number of Group 1 students, in
part because of the limitations of our undergraduate curriculum (i.e., the lack of
undergraduate engineering, allied health sciences, and education programs). Thus, it is
critical to maximize enrollment of Group 1 students in the strong programs that we do
offer such as the majors in the School of Business.
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PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ACADEMIC POLICY:
That the current policy for the admission to the School of Business be
amended to add the following:
Beginning with the freshman class entering in Fall 2006, a select group
of freshmen will be offered admission to the School of Business without
any additional conditions beyond those for continuing enrollment at the
University. Such admission will be based on a review of the student’s
performance in high school as reflected in grade point average
(HSGPA) and performance on school-based tests such as Regents
exams, scores on the SAT or ACT national exams; and a competitive
rank in class. The minimum criteria for consideration will be a
minimum score of 3,000 calculated as: HSGPA times 20 plus SAT score
(old version with 1,600 maximum), with a minimum HSGPA of 85%
and a minimum SAT of 1,100.
Students must complete the same set of business core course
categories during their first two years that are required of all students
in order to begin the upper division sequence of business courses in
the junior year. The businesscore course categories must be
completed with an average grade of at least C (2.0).
Direct admission as freshmen to the School of Business represents an
act of confidence in a cadre of well-prepared students, and it is
expected that these students will perform at the highest academic
levels at the University at Albany. Students must meet University at
Albany requirements for good academic standing to retain their
enrollment in the School of Business.
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