HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EDITION:

University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers overruled his staff to admit well-connected students, according to an independent investigation released Thursday.

Powers’s philosophy could end up providing “affirmative action for the advantaged,” according to the report, which looked into admissions practices at one of the nation’s largest and most prominent public universities. Investigators found UT-Austin, at Powers’s behest, may have given preferential admission to some students with moneyed ties or politically influential backers.

As many as 73 undergraduate students at UT-Austin in the past 6 years, and perhaps a handful more at the university’s top-ranked law school, were admitted despite grades and test scores that were substantially below those of other admitted students. Of these, some had ties to lawmakers or alumni, though others were perhaps admitted to provide diversity on campus.

“I do intervene in that process at the request of our regents and others,” Powers said at a Thursday afternoon press conference in Austin following the report’s release.

The investigation, by risk-management firm Kroll, might seem to put a blemish on public perceptions of Powers’s presidency. It was commissioned to find, once and for all, the truth about allegations that Powers had a backdoor admissions policy. That would be a notable turn for a man who months ago was regarded as a cause célèbre by fellow academics for clashing frequently with UT System regents who are close to former Governor Rick Perry, a Republican graduate of Texas A&M disliked in academic circles and at UT-Austin.

Yet a faculty leader found little to complain about in the report. owers called it “very good.” The university uses justifiable practices to maintain good relationships, the president said.

Hmm. That suggests a whitewash.