The White House issued a report providing strategies for higher education institutions to advance diversity and opportunities on college campuses after the Supreme Court’s ruling against race-based admissions.
“The Supreme Court got it wrong, and we thought that the message that it sends is the wrong message that we need in our country,” Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told theGrio.
After the high court’s decision to effectively end race-based affirmative action in admissions, Cardona said the Biden-Harris administration swiftly met with college and civil rights leaders to think through ways to “make sure that our campuses are as beautifully diverse as our country.”
The product of that brain trust is a four-tier approach that includes investing in targeted outreach, placing “meaningful emphasis” on student diversity, resiliency, and inspiration in the admissions process, increasing affordability for students, and cultivating supportive environments by providing material support for students of color.
Due to the legal restrictions of the Supreme Court’s decisions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, race can no longer be used as a basis for admitting students into institutions of higher learning.
However, Cardona said he hopes the guidelines provided by the Education Department will give colleges and universities a roadmap for keeping their campuses diverse and avoiding what some fear could lead to a steep decline in Black and brown students at predominantly white institutions.
“We know it’s gonna be a great resource,” he told theGrio.
The secretary acknowledged that the department is “limited” in its authority and power, meaning it is unable to enforce any diversity programs on college campuses. However, he said, “We expect that education leaders want to make sure…
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