ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

       The authors wish to thank the many personnel, too numerous to name, at state higher education agencies, segment offices, and public institutions who made room in their busy schedules to participate in our interviews. Three deserve special mention for their contributions to our study above and beyond the interviews: Carla Ferri, Director of Admissions at the University of California, generously shared information about the procedure used by the university to evaluate courses on a school-by-school basis; Geoffrey Harford, Director of Admissions Services and Evaluation at Pennsylvania State University, advised us that the Association of Chief Admissions Officers of Public Universities (ACAOPU) were having meetings on this issue and shared a copy of the report that resulted; and Keith White, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared information and materials on the UW system's initiative to develop a competency-based admissions process.

       Thanks are also due to Kimberly Ramsey at the RAND Corporation for her collaboration and helpful input. At MPR Associates, Gary Hoachlander provided useful suggestions and encouragement at every stage of the study, Jennifer Giambattista provided able research assistance, Andrea Livingston edited the final report, and Barbara Kridl coordinated final production work.

       This research was conducted by the MPR site of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE) at the University of California, Berkeley. We thank NCRVE's Director, David Stern, for his interest, support, patience, and encouragement.