Where Are The Arts? UW Admission Standards Questioned

Changes to college readiness standards was the topic of a town hall meeting in Casper hosted by the University of Wyoming.

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Where are the arts? That was the big question posed at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening that looked at proposed changes to the University of Wyoming's admission standards.

"This has probably been the strongest message from the fine arts, but there has been a strong push for some type of (arts) requirement."

University of Wyoming Trustee, Ann Rochelle, says if the Unversity Board were to add an arts requirement U-W would be one of the first in the region to do so. Tuesday nights meeting presented changes to assured admissions standards that include a raised GPA to 3.0 and an ACT score of 21. The standards mirror the Hathaway Success Curriculum with 4 years english, math and science, 3 years social studies and 2 years foreign language. The goal Rochelle stresses is to improve student success rates.

"What we're saying is, if you come in without some of the rigor and we have admitted you, we want to help you graduate. But you've got to help yourself and we have a program and programs that are supportive to you."

Students entering without the coursework called for will be identified and required to participate in programs that offer special academic support.

Rochelle stresses that its a lot about parent and student involvement in choosing rigorous coursework starting at an early age.

"You can't expect to just graduate from highschool and say 'I'm going to go to college'. So it's an educational part that has to be given to the parents and parents have to pass it on to their kids."

She says its about challenging kids to work hard and get a broad based education, because you don't know what the jobs will look like in the future.

The University of Wyoming town hall meetings continue through mid November.

Changes, once approved by the college board, would go into effect in 2013.