Stanford Announces Reforms After Admissions Scandal Investigation

PALO ALTO, CA — Following an external investigation into last spring's college admissions scandal, Stanford University announced Tuesday that it will spell out new policies that codify its approach to donations and athletic recruits, separate fundraising from coaching and encourage employees to speak out about ethics violations.

The federal investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, alleged that Stanford's sailing coach had received up to $770,000 in bribes in exchange for recommending admission for two students. Neither student was admitted and the sailing coach, John Vandemoer, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.

In the wake of the scandal, Stanford launched the external review by the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett to find any other instances of admissions fraud and to recommend ways to strengthen university policies, President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said in a statement.

"It is imperative that Stanford has the necessary safeguards in place to engender trust and confidence in the integrity of our programs," he said.

Stanford's investigation found that Rick Singer, the college consultant at the heart of the admissions fraud, had approached seven coaches about recruits between 2009 and 2019, but that no coach other than Vandemoer agreed to take gifts in exchange for helping a Singer client.

No other athletics-related admission fraud was uncovered through the investigation, Tessier-Lavigne said.

But the investigation showed Stanford lacked a systematic way for concerns about admissions practices to be reported, Tessier-Lavigne said. Stanford's new policies will require fundraising officers to verify the source of major donations to the athletic department, encourage athletics employees to report ethical concerns and add new training for coaches about the fundraising process.

Stanford is also working to redirect the $770,000 gift it received through Singer's foundation toward a charity supporting financially challenged high school students, Tessier-Lavigne said.

A total of 50 people have been charged in the federal investigation, which also implicated coaches at the University of Southern California and UCLA, and the actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.