The Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century met in late November to identify and discuss the various conditions that affect students who are making the transition from high school to college. The task force — which is a part of the broader Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education — is interested in understanding how it can further facilitate this all-important transition for all college-bound students.

There are many conditions that can affect the success or failure of a student’s transition to college — variations in environment, demographics, technologies, student-aid systems, low-income advocacy, even how information about college is disseminated. And students need strong support from counseling, admissions and student-aid services at both secondary and higher education institutions.

“The charge of this task force is to look at the process students experience as they consider and then apply for college and university admission and financial aid. Issues of increased complexity, lack of transparency and unpredictability of outcomes have been a major problem for both students and the institutions involved. Experiencing such difficulty exacerbates the problems of access to, and success in, higher education, for typically underrepresented students, a particular concern of the overarching Commission,” said Bradley Quin, executive director of Higher Education Advocacy and Special Initiatives at the College Board and task force member.

At November’s meeting (and at its inaugural meeting in May), the task force considered the scope of the problem and worked to identify what the counseling, admissions and aid communities could do to bring about positive change when acting ”at our best.” “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for the work that we’re doing and learning how we can do it better,” said Jerry Lucido, vice provost for enrollment and policy management at the University of Southern California and vice chair of the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education. “Beginning in February, we plan to ask the very same questions of the general membership.” When that information is gathered, the task force plans these next steps:

• Make a concise and powerful report to the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education.
• Sponsor a series of monographs that outline the various conditions affecting student transition and identify good practices.
• Offer College Board-sponsored training workshops on the regional level, focusing on managers and staff who are interacting with students and families on a daily basis.
• Stimulate members, with College Board sponsorship, to offer program sessions on these issues at regional forums and the Forum.