University Admissions in the New Age of Indictments and Class Action Suits; A Survival Guide

Why Should You Attend:

The U.S. Justice Department’s largest-ever college-admissions prosecution --- based on indictments of dozens of defendants under the federal racketeering conspiracy law [18 USC sec. 1962] --- stunned higher ed administrators and stole the headlines, when it was announced by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts in mid-March. The headlines only got bolder, as the names of prominent Hollywood stars and other wealthy parents were revealed. With increased scrutiny and oversight on the horizon, now more than ever you must make sure your institution’s admissions policies are above board. But what does that mean, and where should you even start? From monitoring your athletic departments, to alumni relations… all the way to discrimination claims, standardized testing and donation dollars, now is the time to audit this ecosystem, develop policies, and implement checks and balances to stay out of trouble.

Learning Objectives:

• What the defendants are alleged to have done wrong
• Who has been hurt and who will probably have to pay
• What does this portend for legacy admissions and the preferential treatment of big- donors’ children?
• The implications and potential fallout of large donations
• Tools for identifying and preventing fraud
• Ensuring compliance at the secondary level: preparing students, staff and parents
• Recognizing applicants that are “too good to be true”
• Will the fall-out spill over into affirmative action and other “diversity” admission policies and practices?
• Safeguards to audit and police the integrity of your admissions practices and athletic recruiting procedures
• Whether it’s time to go SAT-optional

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• History and current status of the recent admissions scandal and indictments
• Class action suits arising from the scandal
• The Harvard Asian-American-Discrimination Trial and its likely impact on affirmative action in admissions
• The Student/University contract: when is it formed and what does it mean?
• Fraud in the admissions process: the law and the cases
• Is poverty a protected category?
• Legacy admissions: still legal or now dead in the water?
• When a college closes or merges: legal exposure beginning with the admission process
• Best practices in college admissions
• Latest developments: from new gainful employment regs to new DACA-admissions decisions

Who Will Benefit:

• Deans of Admissions
• VPs of Enrollment Management
• Admission officers and counselors
• College recruiters
• Other mid- and upper level university administrators
• Faculty who participate in student recruitment
• Coaches and athletic directors

From Higher education, Public and Private, For-profit and not-for-profit Professional, grad, undergrad and two-year institutions

Jim Castagnera
President, K&C Human Resource Enterprises

Dr. James Ottavio Castagnera, Esq. hold a JD and PHD from Case Western Reserve University. He spent 10 years as a labor, employment, and intellectual property lawyer with the major Philadelphia law firm of Saul, Ewing, Arnstein & Lehr, and 23 years as associate provost and legal counsel at New Jersey’s Rider University. During his long career in law and education, he has published 20 books; participated as an equity player and general counsel in a leveraged buy-out; tried and argued civil cases in federal and state courts; practiced before numerous state and federal agencies, and managed a vast array of legal and regulatory issues as in-house counsel. Currently, he is a shareholder and the chief consultant of Holland Media Services, a freelance writing, training and consulting company with offices in Los Angeles and Philadelphia and an adjunct faculty member with Drexel University’s Kline School of Law, where he teaches HR-compliance courses.

Follow us :