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Submissions Evaluation Process Letters and Comments |
Letters and Comments to The National Writing Board
Comments Letters from: John A. Blackburn Dean of Admission, University of Virginia Thomas H. Parker Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Amherst College Daniel J. Saracino Assistant Provost for Enrollment, University of Notre Dame William R. Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard College Fred Hargadon Former Dean of Admission, Princeton University Richard H. Shaw Dean of Undergraduate Admission, Yale University Letter from John A. Blackburn Dean of Admission, University of Virginia University of Virginia Office of Admission August 2, 2004 Will Fitzhugh, President National Writing Board 730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24 Sudbury, MA 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, The University of Virginia is pleased to endorse the National Writing Board and the important project you have undertaken. Nurturing and enhancing the experience and skills in writing and doing research are among the most important challenges for our country and I commend you for founding and leading this effort. We would be happy to place your brochures in our reception room so that more high school students will consider doing it. Sincerely, John A. Blackburn Dean of Admission [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Letter from Thomas H. Parker Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Amherst College Amherst College Office of Admission July 10, 2001 Will Fitzhugh The Concord Review National Writing Board 730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24 Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, Amherst College is pleased to join what appears to be a growing cohort of superb colleges and universities who endorse the work of the National Writing Board. We will certainly welcome your evaluations and comments on students who have submitted their work to you and who have applied to Amherst. In the years to come, we also look forward to exploring ways in which Amherst and others who have endorsed your work can encourage students to make use of the services you offer. Sincerely yours, (signed) Thomas H. Parker Dean of Admission and Financial Aid THP/fj Amherst College, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002-5000 Telephone (413) 542-2328 [email protected] www.amherst.edu/admission [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Letter From Daniel J. Saracino Assistant Provost for Enrollment, University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-5612 Office of Undergraduate Admissions August 9, 2000 Mr. Will Fitzhugh President National Writing Board 730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24 Sudbury, MA 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, Thank you for your letter and attachments which arrived in my office yesterday. I am familiar with your publication The Concord Review and would expect similar great things to come from your new venture. For all the reasons given by my colleagues at other colleges and universities, I would welcome this additional information as we attempt to select the most talented and deserving students to join our undergraduate community. I look forward to receiving your scores and comments on these students' papers, Mr. Fitzhugh. Sincerely, (signed) Daniel J. Saracino Assistant Provost for Enrollment DJS/mw [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Letter From William R. Fitsimmons Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard College Harvard College OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID BYERLY HALL • 8 GARDEN STREET • CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02138 June 1, 1999 Mr. Will Fitzhugh President National Writing Board Post Office Box 800 Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, As you know, I share your belief in the value of encouraging high school students to write serious academic papers in history and literature, and I agree with you that the National Writing Board is likely to provide a useful additional incentive for this kind of work. A high school student who has written such a paper in the humanities at the high school level is better prepared for the scholarly efforts which will be expected in college. In addition, it seems clear that up to now, the external incentives for this level of effort in the humanities have not kept pace at all with those provided in the sciences, and the National Writing Board, with its focus on independent written work in history and literature, will help to improve the balance. We have been happy to have reprints of essays published in The Concord Review, submitted by a number of our applicants over the years, to add to the information we consider in making admission decisions, and it seems most likely that ratings provided by the National Writing Board will also help us to form a more complete view of the academic competence of our candidates for admission. I am happy to join the Advisory Council of the National Writing Board, and I look forward to working with you to bring this useful new national rating service both to high school students of history and of literature and to college admissions officers in the years to come. Sincerely, [signed] William R. Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Letter From Fred Hargadon Former Dean of Admission, Princeton University Princeton University Admission Office Box 430 110 West College Princeton, NJ 08544-0430 July 22, 1999 Will Fitzhugh President National Writing Board P.O. Box 800 Sudbury, MA 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, We would certainly be willing to consider the scores and comments forwarded by the National Writing Board for any applicants for admission to Princeton. I've long been concerned that we have much more information to go on when assessing the math and science abilities of high school seniors than we have for assessing their abilities in the areas outside of math/science. I certainly wish it was as easy to spot, at age 17-18, those among our applicant pool who show promise of becoming outstanding humanists as it is to spot those who show promise of becoming outstanding scientists. While I believe maturity plays more of a role in the development of the former than of the latter, it seems to me that it is also the case that, save for The Concord Review, there simply aren't anywhere near as many avenues for recognition of the former as there are for the latter at the secondary school level. In any event, I concur with the thoughts expressed by Bill Fitzsimmons in his letter to you and am pleased that he will be joining your Advisory Council. Sincerely, Fred Hargadon Dean of Admission [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Letter From Richard Shaw Dean of Undergraduate Admission, Yale University YALE UNIVERSITY Richard H. Shaw Dean of Undergraduate Admissions P.O. Box 208234 New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8234 January 19, 2000 Will Fitzhugh President National Writing Board Post Office Box 800 Sudbury, MA 01776 Dear Mr. Fitzhugh, I appreciate the opportunity to advise you that Yale will enthusiastically support your efforts to formalize evaluations of students' written work through the National Writing Board. Not one to jump on the bandwagon easily, I needed to go back and read essays submitted and published in The Concord Review. Clearly, the high quality of writing you have judged and published over the years is significant testimony to your ability to provide comprehensive evaluations of students' writing through the National Writing Board. In admissions we have comparable evaluations through the Mathematical Association of America's American High School Math Exam and the American Invitational Math Exam. Clearly, additional information on candidates' writing will add balance to the supplemental information we receive and review. I appreciate your effort to encourage good writing. We look forward to evaluating applicants to Yale who are willing to submit their work for evaluation to the National Writing Board. Best of luck in your successful implementation of this evaluation process. Sincerely, [signed] Richard H. Shaw Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid [The National Writing Board | http://www.tcr.org | (800) 331-5007)] Comments
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