For more than four decades, universities have used affirmative-action policies to increase the participation of U.S.-born women and members of minority groups in higher education, where traditionally they have been under-represented. Yet those policies, often applied in decisions about which students to admit and which faculty members to hire,…

Throughout the 20th century, one of the central debates pertaining to postsecondary education has been about the concept of merit. Who deserves to go to college? The answer to that question goes to the heart of various policies that have been developed, changed, and debated. Perhaps no other policy has drawn more prominence and criticism than that…

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's "Grutter" decision, universities must now make the judgment that student diversity is essential to their educational mission. This article examines the prospects for increasing Latino representation in higher education in this post- "Grutter" era. The article further explores the effect of affirmative action…

Affirmative action is a necessary but not sufficient condition for diversifying graduate school. Increasing diversity requires us to capitalize on unintended consequences. Adopting the philosophy of intellectual entrepreneurship, although valuable to all students and disciplines, may have a special and perhaps more substantial impact on…

On 23 June 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two rulings on the constitutionality of race preferences in university admissions. The cases in question both involved the University of Michigan and were designated Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger. The Michigan rulings were a stunning triumph for race preferences, from…

This article uses four data sets to assess changes in the relative weights of test- and performance-based merit criteria on college enrollment during the 1980s and 1990s and considers their significance for affirmative action. Our results support the "shifting meritocracy" hypothesis, revealed by selective postsecondary institutions'…

In this article, the author states that The University of Michigan has been at the forefront of efforts to create a campus learning environment in which all students, faculty, and staff feel respected and valued. In two widely publicized cases decided in 2003, the university defended its affirmative action policies before the U.S. Supreme Court on…

Preceded by recent affirmative action rulings, the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in "Brown v. Board of Education" (1954) came during a time of legal retreat away from addressing racial issues. Rather than resolve America's race problems, the history and modern structure of "Brown" and other higher education desegregation cases…

Affirmative action in higher education remains a controversial topic in the US today, as it is tied in directly with citizens' varying conceptions of the larger society, and the importance of racial and other differences (in particular, socioeconomic class) in individual experiences and outcomes. This essay examines different arguments for and…

Scholars who have examined the Black presence in elite colleges and universities have reported that 41 percent of Black freshmen at 28 selective schools identified themselves as immigrants, children of immigrants or mixed race. While schools have not yet clarified their position on affirmative action with regard to native Black American students,…

This paper explores affirmative action as a social movement with two goals in mind: (a) to challenge dominant notions of higher education reform, while advancing a social movement perspective; and (b) to advance understanding of the role of collective action in supporting affirmative action in college admissions. The authors highlight ways in…

In this chapter, the authors outline critical race theory (CRT) as an analytical framework that originated in schools of law to examine and challenge the continuing significance of race and racism in U.S. society. They then describe the CRT framework within the field of education. CRT scholarship offers an explanatory structure that accounts for…

Affirmative action policies have played a critical role in promoting equal opportunity for both Latino faculty and Latino students in higher education. Affirmative action, one of the social programs that evolved from the civil rights movement, was aimed at increasing opportunities employment and education for historically underrepresented groups…

The importance of diversity and inclusion to higher education was the focus of intense legal and social scientific analysis in the decisions of the United States Supreme Court concerning affirmative action at the University of Michigan. The leadership of higher education and several other sectors of society offered overwhelming support, and a…

The U.S. Supreme Court provided evidence that its membership had shifted to be more critical of affirmative action as it heard oral arguments last week in two cases involving the race-based assignment of students to public schools. Although the court did not exhibit any desire to reconsider its stand on affirmative action in higher education, the…