Admissions Officer: Sam Lehman
Admissions Officer: Sam Lehman
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Admissions Officer: Sam Lehman |
Biographical Sketch: Sam Lehman is the Admissions Officer in charge of minority recruitment at Texas State University. As part of his job, he directs several outreach programs focused on encouraging minority high school students to attend Texas State and administers the Special Admissions program. He considers all admissions appeals presented to Special Admissions and will decide which of the four applicants will get the remaining two spots in the first-year class for 1997-1998. Sam, a 32-year-old African-American man from a middle class background, holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Urban Affairs from Columbia University and a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Texas. |
Sam has worked in the Admissions Office for four years and has been promoted three times. He has received several commendations from the undergraduate dean for increasing minority enrollment at Texas State. His career goal is to move into a position in upper administration within the next 5-10 years, which will require him both to get along with supervisors in the Undergraduate College and to make a success of the Special Admissions and minority recruitment programs, both of which have come under fire from various sources during the past few years. He has compiled the following summary of the four applicants to be considered at the upcoming hearing:
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SAT composite: 950 |
SAT composite: 690 |
SAT composite: 1120 |
SAT composite: 1040 |
Documents File:
As the Special Admissions hearing approaches, Sam has received a number of documents that, in addition to the students' application materials, will inform his decision. Here are the contents of that file, which will be open to all participants in the hearing under the Texas Open Records Act:
To: Sam Lehman, Admissions Office
From: Ruth Zelig, Undergraduate Dean
Date: July 14, 1997
Re: Upcoming Special Admissions HearingThank you for sending me the schedule for the upcoming Special Admissions hearings, and I look forward to attending as an observer. As you know, I am profoundly concerned about the 55% failure and drop-out rate among the Special Admissions students chosen last year. This retention rate is far too low in an era when the public and the state legislature are watching us so closely, and when low retention rates may be seen as a sign that we are admitting unqualified minority students as a means of diversifying the student body. Especially after the recent ruling in the Hopwood case, we must avoid even the appearance of quotas.
Of course we have a commitment to offer an education to minority and other nontraditional students, and Special Admissions provides such opportunities. However,we do not wish to admit students who have little chance of success in our system. Our political and economic situation at Texas State is such that we must be careful to limit our selections to those students who stand the best chance of benefitting from the academic environment we provide.
I know you will work closely with the other members of the selection committee to assure that you make wise choices. Of course the final decisions about who will be admitted belong to you and the other committee members alone. But please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you need suggestions or input about the process.
To: Sam Lehman, Admissions Office
From: Sarah Priestly, Chair, Division of African-American Studies
Date: July 7, 1997Re: Special Admissions Appeal of Xavier Johnson
I've just been contacted by the family of Xavier Johnson, an African-American student who is applying under the Special Admissions appeals process. While I have not seen Mr. Johnson's application and don't wish to second-guess your judgment about whether he deserves admission, I want to urge you to give his case special consideration. African-American enrollment on this campus remains scandalously low and promises to drop even further now that it has been ruled illegal to consider race as a factor in regular admissions. While African-Americans make up 15% of the population in this area, we have only 2% represented on campus. In order to have a diverse, multicultural campus, we must ensure that enough African-Americans come and remain here so that the university does not seem like a hostile or racist environment.
Both of Mr. Johnson's parents are Texas State graduates and they have indicated an interest in donating to the African-American Studies division. They also assure me that he is fully capable of succeeding in his academic work. Please give his application due consideration.
To: Sam Lehman, Admissions Office
From: Juanita Heinz, Director, Remedial Studies Program
Date: July 13, 1997
Re: Special Admissions Appeal of Cynthia NunezIt has come to my attention that you are considering admitting Cynthia Lanae Nunez for the fall semester. Ms. Nunez has recently completed an academic testing battery sponsored by the athletic department to assess her need for tutoring and other remedial services from our offices. Unfortunately, her academic underpreparedness is so great that we could only meet her needs at great expense to our program.
Ms. Nunez reads at a fourth-grade level, but her tests revealed two learning disabilities--a reading disorder and an attention disorder--that require intensive tutoring support. In addition, she has had very little training in mathematics, science, or other traditional content areas. This lack of background, combined with her learning disabilities, would make it very difficult for her to succeed in any of the regular courses TSU offers. In addition, she would require intensive full-time tutoring (at an expense to our office of $10-20/hour), along with special remedial coursework that we would have to design especially for her, since TSU does not usually admit students who require such intensive remedial work. In short, it we would have to assign one of our 8 full-time staff exclusively to this student. We cannot afford to make such a heavy investment in one student when we barely have the resources we need to serve the rest of the campus. Please consider our position when you make your decision.
To: Sam Lehman, Admissions Office
From: Jim Freeman, Athletic Director
Date: July 13, 1997
Re: Special Admissions Appeal of Cynthia NunezOur office has recently offered a full athletic scholarship to Cynthia Nunez, an All-American and Junior Olympic basketball star who has been heavily recruited across the country. Because Ms. Nunez wishes to attend school near her family, we have an unexpected opportunity to recruit one of the finest athletes in the US. With Nunez on the Texas State squad, Coach Neville Mariner says, we have a real chance of getting into the Final Four this year--for the first time.
We are extremely excited about bringing Ms. Nunez here and will work with Remedial Studies Programs and the Minority Retention office to help her overcome any academic difficulties she might experience. However, I might remind you that last year, track athlete Wanda Bradley was admitted under similar circumstances and is currently in good academic standing.
I don't need to remind you how much of TSU's fundraising base comes from alumni sports fans. Don't force us to miss this historic opportunity to build the basketball program into a national contender. Please give me a call next week so that we can discuss this student's application further.
655 S. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78900
Carol Haggerty, Executive DirectorSam Lehman
Admissions Officer
Texas State University
Kerrview, TX 79042Dear Mr. Lehman:
We have been notified that applicant Lynda M. Kramer is appealing her admission to your university in a special hearing next week, and we wanted to make you aware of some possible social ramifications of your decision. As you are aware, Mrs. Kramer's academic record was interrupted for a number of years because of the demands of caring for her son, who has cerebral palsy. Now she is limited in the number of colleges she can apply to because she needs to remain near him.
At TCPAA we advocate for the rights of people with cerebral palsy and their families. One of our most important efforts is to help families find alternatives to institutionalization. Research shows that people with disabilities thrive when they are able to receive home-based or halfway house care which enables them to participate in regular jobs, schooling, and community life. Mrs. Kramer's son Carl is currently placed in an excellent halfway house, but his placement is contingent upon his family being available to provide weekend and respite care as needed. If Mrs. Kramer is not admitted to your college, the only one within commuting distance to her home, she will face a hard choice: either to forego college altogether, or to have her son placed institutional care.
The Americans with Disabilities Act states that individuals otherwise able to perform a particular job may not be discriminated against because a disability requires some special arrangments. We believe the spirit of this law entitles Mrs. Kramer for special consideration in her college plans. One of our staff advocates would be happy to meet with you at any time to discuss her application in light of these issues. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lance Jefferson, Legal Advisor
