SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell will ask the University of California (UC) Board of Regents Thursday to postpone a decision on tightening university admission standards by raising the minimum grade point average for incoming freshmen. He released this statement:

"No one is a greater advocate than me for increasing rigor in our education system. As we increase rigor in our high schools to help more students reach a higher academic bar, many more seniors will meet eligibility requirements for UC. This is an outcome we should celebrate, not dissuade.

"I am concerned about asking our students to meet higher expectations in high school, while at the same time making a UC education even more difficult to attain. This sends a mixed and discouraging message at a time when we most want to encourage our students to reach a higher standard.

"I also am concerned that raising the eligibility requirement at this time limits our opportunity to carefully and thoroughly review the potential consequences of such a decision to the geographic and ethnic diversity of our UC student population. Shrinking the applicant pool will surely foreclose the dreams of some of our students from underrepresented areas or populations who are capable of succeeding at UC. These are students who meet the current rigorous qualifications for admission and we should not be turning them away to limit enrollment.

"Rather than limiting the pool of qualified students, I think we should allow local admissions officers to make those tough choices among an expanded pool of qualified students. We should work to increase capacity as the budget allows in the coming years."