Sept. 28, 1998
Contact: Sarah Turner (804) 924-7857
sturner@virginia.edu

Media notice: William Bowen is available to meet with reporters from 3
to 4 p.m. on Oct. 8 prior to his public address. A few review copies of
his book are available.  To arrange an interview with him or to request
a book, call Ida Lee Wootten at (804) 924-6857.  A conference schedule
is enclosed.

WILLIAM BOWEN, CO-AUTHOR OF LANDMARK BOOK INVESTIGATING IMPACT OF
ADMISSION POLICIES IN COLLEGES, WILL BE AMONG SPEAKERS ADDRESSING
ECONOMIC ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

	William G. Bowen, co-author of a groundbreaking study on how
race-sensitive admissions policies work at selective colleges and
universities, will be one of the speakers at a University of Virginia
conference on the economics of higher education.
	Bowen, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and
co-author with Derek Bok, former president of Harvard University, of
"The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in
College and University Admissions," will speak on Oct. 8 at 4:30 p.m. in
the Coleman Classroom, Room 126 in Withers Hall of U.Va.'s Law School.
His appearance is part of the two-day Virginia Conference on the
Economics of Higher Education, which starts earlier that day.
	Sponsored by the Virginia Project on the Economics of Higher
Education, the conference will bring together scholars and analysts to
consider the economic implications of higher education policies.
Sessions will address topics ranging from the increasing use of
non-tenure-track faculty to implications of state subsidies in higher
education.
	Bowen, whose appearance is sponsored by the Curry School of
Education and the Law School, will describe how race-sensitive policies
affect students' matriculation into college and universities and how
such policies affect their economic, academic and civic endeavors after
graduation.  Bowen and Bok tracked the experiences of 45,000 students of
all races who entered 28 selective colleges and universities in the fall
of 1976 and 1989. 
	"The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss
what we know and don't know about how public policy initiatives affect
the outcomes of higher education," said Sarah 
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Turner, an assistant professor of education and economics who is one of
the key organizers of the event.
	All the talks during the conference are free and open to the
public. With the exception of Bowen's talk in the Law School, sessions
will be held in Room 200 of Ruffner Hall.  
	Reservations are suggested since seating is limited.  For
reservations, contact Jennifer White at (804) 924-7289 or
jjw7b@virginia.edu
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Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804)
924-7550.