Wallace Hall, University of Texas Admissions Whistleblower, Receives Apology

In response to the recent nationwide college admissions scandal, the Student Government of the University of Texas–Austin has proposed an apology to Wallace Hall—a former member of the University of Texas System’s Board of Regents. Mr. Hall was an early whistleblower concerning admissions corruption in 2011, and faced harsh criticism for requesting application documents to investigate. Some attempted to argue (oddly) that he was overstepping his role as a trustee, and a controversial impeachment process against him began. Impeachment attempts were not successful, and Mr. Hall’s claims were validated in 2015 when an investigation found widespread admissions corruption.

Now, in light of the college admissions scandal that has swept the nation, students want to right the wrongs done to Mr. Hall. It is refreshing to see students take a moral stand and exhibit such leadership. The Student Government’s statement noted that Mr. Hall was “one of the few University administrators genuinely acting on behalf of students and fairness in admissions.” Trustees should always govern with student interests in mind and should not be discouraged from assuming an active role in the university. Now the University of Texas should do the honorable thing and add its own apology to Mr. Hall. ACTA hopes that more higher education leaders will be inspired by his story.