Hopkins President Ronald J. Daniels said in an interview Monday the legacy preference is “a very peculiar institution” in higher education. Former Brown University president Ruth J. Simmons, who now leads Prairie View A&M University, testified in fall 2018 in support of Harvard University’s use of a legacy preference in admissions. Officials at Harvard and other schools with legacy preferences emphasize that applicants are not admitted unless they are qualified. Daniels, who arrived at Hopkins in 2009, said he was struck at the time by the scope of the legacy influence there. Daniels acknowledged the policy shift on legacy applicants sometimes leads to “disappointment” among “families that have longtime associations with Hopkins.” But he said the alumni community accepts the change.

Source: Washington Post January 14, 2020 00:22 UTC