The University’s creation of an endowed scholarship in honor of Dean of Admissions John Blackburn is a small gesture compared to the enormous contributions Blackburn has made in his nearly 30 years in the admissions office. As students who have had the privilege of knowing him professionally, we are pleased with the University’s decision to honor him.
Blackburn’s priorities as dean of admissions have been to increase the diversity of the University’s student body and to expand access to the University for students who have not had that opportunity in the past. He fought in the late 1990s to continue the University’s affirmative action policies and to ensure the students admitted through those policies succeeded at the University. “Through depositions and articles and suits, I have never seen Jack ever hesitate one iota in his commitment to making the University a place that not only welcomes African-American students, but prepares them for future success,” Parke Muth, associate dean of admissions, wrote last year when Blackburn won the University’s Thomas Jefferson Award. Blackburn’s recruitment of highly qualified black students is one of the reasons the University’s black students graduate at a higher rate than any other public university in the country.
The battles over affirmative action policies pointed to the problem of socioeconomic diversity, which Blackburn helped address through his promotion of the University’s AccessUVa program, a financial aid program that is still unrivaled in many ways among public universities. Blackburn’s recruitment efforts encouraged many students with limited financial means to attend the University.
The AccessUVa program was not Blackburn’s only contribution in this area, however. In recent years his office made several policy changes that made applying to the University easier for low-income students. He was closely involved in the University’s decision to end early admissions, a program that provided convenience for some but was found to favor privileged applicants. He adopted the Common Application, making the application process less time-consuming. He also created a program guaranteeing admission to graduates of Virginia’s community colleges.
Through all of these changes, Blackburn has also continued to promote the University as one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. Joining Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Princeton on tours of the country, Blackburn made sure prospective students knew of the opportunities available at the University. As a result, the University has steadily become more and more selective over the course of Blackburn’s career.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, however, Blackburn deserves recognition for the way in which he interacted with other administrators and students. “Not only has he done wonderful things for the University, there’s just a personal aura about him,” University spokesperson Carol Wood said. The staff members at The Cavalier Daily who have worked with him agree. A few of our writers recall Blackburn helping them with a story while he was driving through the hills of North Carolina on a recruitment tour, calling back every time his cell phone reception cut out. All of our writers who have spoken with him have found him eager to discuss important issues honestly and candidly.
Though most students tend to forget about the admissions office after they matriculate, the office’s policies affect everyone at the University. Blackburn’s leadership has ensured those policies continually improved.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | April 25, 2024Instead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | April 18, 2024Our independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
EDITORIAL: Pedestrian safety is an institutional imperative
By Editorial Board | April 15, 2024Amid a national crisis of pedestrian safety, Charlottesville and the University are also struggling to properly maintain pedestrian safety.
