What’s at Stake for Colleges and Students After the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Decision?

For decades, colleges and universities across the United States have used race-conscious admissions practices to provide students from underrepresented racial minority groups more equal access to higher education. In June 2023, the Supreme Court rendered a decision in the case Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that rendered this practice unconstitutional. Specifically, the Court ruled that the admissions programs used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which bars racial discrimination by government entities.

Join our multidisciplinary group of faculty experts who will discuss the history of affirmative action in U.S. higher education, the implications of the decision for college admission practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and the prospects for equal access to higher education for racial and ethnic minority groups in the wake of this decision.

Faculty participants will include: Maria Zhu (moderator), Thomas M. Keck, Sean Drake, Amy Lutz and Ying Shi.