Sept. 12, 2007
Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University,
ranked among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, will
now offer prospective students the option of submitting
SAT or ACT scores with their application
credentials effective immediately. The decision was
recently announced during a faculty meeting on campus by
Vice President for Enrollment Management Doug Swartz.
“At Wittenberg, we want to recruit the best and brightest
students, who are not only well rounded with impressive
academic records, but who are also leaders in their
communities, committed to service and actively engaged in
the world around them,” Swartz said. “Simply stated, we
want students who reflect the values and mission of
Wittenberg.”
In making the decision to allow applicants to decide whether
or not to submit test scores, Swartz said he is confident that
more accurate portraits of prospective students will result.
“By giving them the option, prospective students can now
choose what materials best demonstrate their strengths
and indicate their readiness for Wittenberg’s dynamic
educational environment,” he said.
At the same time, the decision also facilitates a number of
enrollment objectives outlined in Distinctively Wittenberg:
A Vision for Excellence, the university’s strategic plan. In
addition to attracting students with a passion for learning,
the plan calls for students who reflect the diversity of the
world.
“The time has come for us to move beyond the convention
and convenience of requiring standardized tests scores,”
said Wittenberg President Mark H. Erickson.
“As we continue to extend our admission outreach
nationally and internationally to broader and more
diverse audiences, it has also become clear that this
requirement is inconsistent with Wittenberg’s
mission,” Erickson added.“A true liberal arts education
requires engagement from a wide range of viewpoints
and experiences. Our new test-optional alternative will
assist us in attracting students with unique and varied
talents from diverse backgrounds, including those with
non-traditional records of outstanding achievement.”
In making submission of test scores optional, Wittenberg
now joins with other selective colleges, including Bates
College and Bowdoin College, both in Maine, Dickinson
College and Gettysburg College, both in
Pennsylvania, and Middlebury College in Vermont, among
others. A recent report in USA Today indicated that
colleges that have chosen the test-optional avenue
have benefited significantly from their decision, including
increased applicant pools and greater diversity among
applicants. Wittenberg again expects to exceed 3,000
applications for admission in the 2008-09 academic
year, and Swartz believes more will matriculate now
that the test-optional approach is available.
“By allowing students to choose whether they wish
to sendus their ACT or SAT scores, we are confident
that more students from all backgrounds will consider
Wittenberg for college because they will see a school
committed to knowing and educating the whole person,
rather than one that evaluates ability based on
standardized tests,” he said.
“We have also confirmed the national findings within
our own student body that such scores, which have
repeatedly come under fire by many in higher education
for the cultural and socioeconomic biases, do not always
accurately predict students’ academic success at
Wittenberg,” Swartz continued. “In actuality, our move
in this direction will only enrich what already makes us
‘Distinctively Wittenberg.’”
