Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al
Filing
454
DECLARATION of Michael Connolly in Support of SFFA's Opposition to Harvard's Motion for Summary Judgment by Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 262, # 2 Exhibit 263, # 3 Exhibit 264, # 4 Exhibit 265, # 5 Exhibit 266, # 6 Exhibit 267, # 7 Exhibit 268, # 8 Exhibit 269, # 9 Exhibit 270, # 10 Exhibit 271, # 11 Exhibit 272, # 12 Exhibit 273, # 13 Exhibit 274, # 14 Exhibit 275, # 15 Exhibit 276, # 16 Exhibit 277, # 17 Exhibit 278, # 18 Exhibit 279, # 19 Exhibit 280, # 20 Exhibit 281, # 21 Exhibit 282, # 22 Exhibit 283, # 23 Exhibit 284, # 24 Exhibit 285)(Consovoy, William) (Additional attachment(s) added on 7/31/2018: # 25 Unredacted DECLARATION of Michael Connolly in Support of SFFA's Opposition to Harvard's Motion for Summary Judgment (Filed Under Seal), # 26 Exhibit 262 (Filed Under Seal), # 27 Exhibit 263 (Filed Under Seal), # 28 Exhibit 264 (Filed Under Seal), # 29 Exhibit 265 (Filed Under Seal), # 30 Exhibit 266 (Filed Under Seal), # 31 Exhibit 267 (Filed Under Seal), # 32 Exhibit 268 (Filed Under Seal), # 33 Exhibit 269 (Filed Under Seal), # 34 Exhibit 270 (Filed Under Seal), # 35 Exhibit 271 (Filed Under Seal), # 36 Exhibit 272 (Filed Under Seal), # 37 Exhibit 273 (Filed Under Seal), # 38 Exhibit 274 (Filed Under Seal), # 39 Exhibit 275 (Filed Under Seal), # 40 Exhibit 276 (Filed Under Seal), # 41 Exhibit 277 (Filed Under Seal), # 42 Exhibit 278 (Filed Under Seal), # 43 Exhibit 279 (Filed Under Seal), # 44 Exhibit 280 (Filed Under Seal), # 45 Exhibit 281 (Filed Under Seal), # 46 Exhibit 282 (Filed Under Seal), # 47 Exhibit 283 (Filed Under Seal), # 48 Exhibit 284 (Filed Under Seal), # 49 Exhibit 285 (Filed Under Seal)) (McDonagh, Christina).
EXHIBIT 270
Harvard College admits 1,990
Harvard College sent 1,990 admission notifications on Tuesday. The Class of 2019 was chosen from a record 37,307
applicants. File photo by Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
t 5 p.m. on March 31, Harvard College sent admission
notifications to 1,990 of the record 37,307 students
who had applied for admission to the Class of 2019.
“The Admissions Committee has assembled a class that promises
to be one of the best in Harvard’s long history,” said William R.
Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid. “It will be
exciting to witness their progress during their Harvard years and
beyond.”
For 90 percent of American families, it costs less to attend
Harvard than one of the nation’s public universities. “Bringing
promising students to Harvard is our main objective, and we
believe that financial circumstances should never cloud a
student’s decision to apply,” said Sarah C. Donahue, Griffin
Director of Financial Aid. “That is why we remain committed to
supporting every admitted student with need-based aid.”
Harvard requires no contribution from families with annual
incomes below $65,000, and asks an average of 10 percent of
income from the majority of families receiving financial aid. Even
families with incomes greater than $150,000 are eligible for aid
depending on particular circumstances, such as multiple children
in college or unusual medical or other essential expenses. “Based
on current projections, more than half of Harvard students will
receive need-based aid, and their families will pay on average only
$12,000 annually,” said Donahue.
For students not receiving need-based aid, the total cost of
attendance (including tuition, room, board, and health and other
fees) is scheduled to increase by 3.5 percent, to $60,659, for the
2015-16 academic year. Tuition specifically will increase by only 3
percent, to $41,632.
The Class of 2019 will arrive from cities, suburbs, and small towns
throughout the United States, bringing a strong international
presence as well. About 22 percent come from the mid-Atlantic
states, 21 percent from the Western and Mountain states, 18
percent from the South, 17 percent from New England, 11 percent
from the Midwest, and 11 percent from the U.S. territories and
abroad. International citizens make up 10.8 percent of the class
and 7.7 percent are U.S. dual citizens.
Fifty-two percent of those admitted are men, reflecting the fact
that more men than women applied. Asian-Americans comprise 21
percent of the admitted students, Latinos 13.3 percent, AfricanAmericans 12.1 percent, and Native American or Native Hawaiian 2
percent. All but the Native American percentages are records.
Compared to last year, larger percentages of admitted students
intend to concentrate in the social sciences (26 percent vs. 23.8
percent), the humanities (15 percent vs. 13.6 percent), and
computer science (6 percent vs. 4.5 percent). Those interested in
biological sciences make up 19.6 percent of the class, 12.2 percent
engineering, 7 percent physical sciences, and 6.4 percent
mathematics. “Undecided” decreased from 8.3 percent to 7.8
percent.
“As always, the applicant pool contained many more talented and
highly qualified candidates than we had room to admit,” said
Marlyn E. McGrath, director of admissions. “Many students
presented strong academic credentials, as evidenced by
standardized test scores and grades.” About 13,500 students scored
700 or above on the SAT critical reading test; 16,100 scored 700 or
above on the SAT math test; 13,900 scored 700 or higher on the
SAT writing test; and 3,200 were ranked first in their high school
classes.
“In addition to standard academic measures, students present a
wide array of academic accomplishments, and our faculty
evaluates research of all kinds, and portfolios across all academic
and creative disciplines, to identify the next generation of scholars
for Harvard,” McGrath added.
Members of the teaching faculty serving on the admissions
committee are: Ali Asani, Ann M. Blair, Peter J. Burgard, Diana L.
Eck, Edward L. Glaeser, Benedict H. Gross, Guido Guidotti, Jay M.
Harris, Joseph D. Harris, Robert D. Howe, Thomas R. Jehn, Rakesh
Khurana, Nancy E. Kleckner, Harry R. Lewis, Richard M. Losick,
James J. McCarthy, Louis Menand, Michael D. Mitzenmacher,
Cherry Murray, Anne C. Shreffler, Alison Simmons, Frans
Spaepen, Richard F. Thomas, James H. Waldo, Robert M.
Woollacott, and Amir Yacoby.
Recruitment begins each year in February with direct outreach to
promising juniors. More than 62 percent of all admitted students
and 80 percent of admitted minority students (including 87
percent of Latinos and 86 percent of African-Americans) appeared
on the original College Board and ACT search lists that helped
launch Harvard’s outreach program for the class.
Looking ahead, staff members will again visit 125 cities this spring
and fall in tandem with Duke University, Georgetown University,
the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University, targeting
high school juniors who may eventually join the Class of 2020.
“Harvard will also travel with Princeton, Yale, and the University
of Virginia to visit 20 more cities in the fall, reaching out to
students from modest economic backgrounds,” said Kanoe Lum
Williams, assistant director of joint travel.
“Each year, Harvard admissions officers visit all 50 states, Puerto
Rico, and Mexico, and see nearly 50,000 high school students and
parents, as well as more than 3,000 high school guidance
counselors,” added Jennifer Gandy, director of joint travel.
“Recruitment in its many forms is fundamental to the success of
Harvard and its peer institutions,” said Roger Banks, director of
recruitment. “Members of the Undergraduate Minority
Recruitment (UMRP) and the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative
(HFAI) once again played a vital role in our success,” added Kaitlin
Howrigan, associate director of recruitment.
“The commitment of our UMRP coordinators continues to
produce excellent results each year,” said Lucerito Ortiz, codirector of UMRP. Added Tia Ray, assistant director, “Our
network of close relationships with schools and communities will
ensure success with future recruiting as well.”
“The Harvard Financial Aid Initiative reflects one of Harvard’s
core values, providing access to Harvard for students regardless of
financial means,” said Charlene Kim, HFAI director.
“Our student recruiters spoke with many talented students now
admitted to the Class of 2019 who never dreamed Harvard was
possible,” added Pharen Bowman, HFAI assistant director. “As a
person who would have benefited from the HFAI program, I
continue to be inspired by students who come to Harvard as a
result of HFAI.”
A new initiative directed toward first-generation students, headed
by Niki Johnson, is also off to a fast start. The Harvard First
Generation Program (HFGP) aims to remind prospective students
and their families that Harvard has long sought those whose
parents have not graduated from a four-year college. The new
program promotes early college awareness, provides information
to help first-generation students navigate the admissions process,
and works closely with the Harvard First Generation Student
Union, a student organization formed in 2013. This new initiative
adds to the efforts of Kevin Jennings, who organized alumni
through the Harvard Alumni Association to serve as mentors,
sponsor recruiting events, and reinforce Harvard’s commitment
to those who will be the first in their families to come to Harvard.
The Undergraduate Admissions Council (UAC) and the
undergraduate tour guides and greeters work year-round with
campus visitors, welcoming prospective applicants and hosting
them overnight. David Evans, co-director of the UAC, noted that
“The credibility current undergraduates have with prospective
students is critical in informing them about what life at Harvard is
really like.”
“The UAC members get well past the conventional wisdom about
Harvard,” said fellow co-director Maxwell Dikkers.
Thomas Hamel, also a co-director, concurred: “We hear from
students and families that UAC members provide information that
simply can’t be quantified in guidebooks and brochures.”
“Our tour guides and greeters see more than 40,000 visitors each
year to Cambridge,” said Banks, director of visitor services and codirector of the Tour Guide Program. “Our students’ personal
stories make Harvard come alive for our visitors.” Added codirector Ortiz, “We get many compliments from the public about
our tour guides and their ability to relate to a wide range of people
with grace and humor.”
“Many prospective students from around the world decide to
apply based on their time with our tour guides,” added Bryce
Gilfillian, assistant director.
Personal contact with admitted students will be important over
the next few weeks. Members of UAC, UMRP, HFAI, and HFGP,
the admissions and financial aid staff, teaching faculty, and alumni
will write, email, telephone, and meet with admitted students.
“This year’s record applicant pool appears to have resulted in part
from the Harvard College Connection (HCC), our newest
recruitment program, designed to interface with both specific and
more general audiences. The work of the HCC has been enhanced
greatly by the addition of our new website, online videos, and
various social media activities,” said Fitzsimmons. “Fifty-two
percent of our applicants noted that our website was one of the
ways they learned about Harvard, and 36 percent mentioned
email/social media.”
To give admitted students the opportunity to experience Harvard
life and meet future professors and classmates, a visiting program
is scheduled for April 25-27. The program, known as Visitas,
enables guests to sample classes, attend faculty panel discussions,
concerts, receptions, department open houses, symposia, and
events organized by extracurricular groups. More than 1,400
admitted students are expected to visit during April and 1,200
during Visitas.
“Students admitted to Harvard have their choice of the world’s
best colleges. Meeting faculty and future classmates can be a key
component of making the right college choice,” said Visitas
Director Timothy Smith. “We have found that many students
decide to attend Harvard based on their Visitas experience.” Smith
is assisted in this multifaceted program by Brown, Dikkers,
Gilfillian, Ray, and Williams.
“Our loyal 15,000 alumni volunteers are the face of Harvard in
communities around the world,” said Brock Walsh, co-director of
the Alumni Network for Schools and Scholarship committees.
“Their interviews are more important than ever as we make our
admissions decisions. They are essential to our recruiting as they
visit schools, call newly admitted students, and host gatherings for
them in April.” Added Caroline Weaver, co-director, “They spend
countless hours helping us assemble our class, and their loyalty is
evident as they do whatever is needed to help us year after year.”
Donahue and her financial aid colleagues will be available to speak
with admitted students and their families on weekdays from April
1 until May 1 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, and on April 26 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. during Visitas.
“We welcome students and parents, including families who may
not have applied for financial aid but who are interested in the
wide range of available payment options,” she said. “Our program
offers assistance to all students and families, ranging from full
financial aid to a number of financing alternatives.”
Admitted students have until May 1 to accept their offers of
admission.