A woman associate professor denied tenure by male colleagues sued and won in federal court, claiming sex discrimination in assessment of her scholarship. She is being reimbursed by the university for costs of her extensive publicity campaign. University failure to file a required affirmative-action plan was also found. (MSE)

The policy of Northeastern University (Massachusetts) to actively recruit and promote openly gay and lesbian employees has provoked heated debate. Some criticize the policy as providing special privileges to homosexuals and violating the spirit of affirmative action; others see it as a logical step in ending discrimination. (MSE)

Explores strategies that feminist researchers in experimental and cognitive psychology have used to eliminate androcentrism and sexism. Studying the history of feminist work in these areas from 1890 to the 1990s makes the need for continuing focus on epistemological and theoretical problems apparent. (SLD)

The decision of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to stop giving significant admissions preference to minority students sparked student protests and debate about universities' promises of affirmative action. Constitutional scholars and higher-education officials found the university's numerical goals for admissions legally risky, so the…

Colleges and universities are using creative measures to promote student diversity amid anti-affirmative-action movements. Strategies include more extensive outreach, capitalizing on alumni assistance, targeting the economically disadvantaged, making a commitment to the community, and taking a proactive approach. (MSE)

In response to legislation eliminating race and gender as factors in admissions decisions, the University of California instituted a series of short- and long-range outreach strategies to recruit disadvantaged students, increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the eligibility pool, change the culture of secondary schools to promote…

A report based on a study of 45,184 students entering 28 selective colleges in 1976 or 1989 is the most comprehensive look at how students benefitting from racial preference in college admission fared during and after college. The authors say the findings disprove the claim that black students with low test scores are better off at less selective…

Public university officials in Louisiana and Mississippi are treading a narrow line between conflicting directives on affirmative action. In U.S. vs. Louisiana, court orders permit use of affirmative action in admissions for desegregation purposes, but in Hopwood vs. Texas, Louisiana campuses are barred from using affirmative action in admissions…

Presents statistical data on the progress of African Americans in higher education, discussing: the black-white higher education equality index; statistics measuring the state of racial inequality; blacks in the performing and fine arts; and state-by-state comparison of blacks as a percentage of all public and private college enrollments compared…

The Department of Labor's new guidelines on employee selection procedures are outlined, and their effect on affirmative action programs is discussed. Specific steps in following the guidelines are outlined, and college and universities are advised to review their related operations before an audit is imposed. (MSE)

Research shows that though college students tend to support diversity, a large percentage are opposed to giving preferences to minorities in the admissions process. Some of the research on the subject is incomplete or misleading. Other studies show that though campuses worry about the stigmatization of students given preferential admission,…

Reports on plans for new "race-blind" entrance criteria at the 10 public universities in Florida. Plans call for ending racial preferences in graduate education altogether and replacing undergraduate preferences with a guarantee of admission to a state university for the top 20 percent of Florida high school graduates. Critics and…

Examines how the University of California has addressed the problem of differential access for minorities and longstanding inconsistencies between its admissions practices and mission. Argues that the university's recent retreat from affirmative action signals a departure from its earlier emphasis on providing greater access to higher education…

Conservative critiques of higher education rely on liberal doses of cash. Behind the conservative critique of U.S. higher education is a fervent commitment to ideals, to be sure--but there's also a sizable amount of conservative cash. The Bradley, Earhart, Castle Rock, and John M. Olin foundations have contributed lavishly to guidebooks aimed at…

Using Bowen and Bok's data from 23 selective colleges, we fit multilevel logit models to test two hypotheses with implications for affirmative action and group differences in attainment of science, math, or engineering (SME) degrees. Hypothesis 1, that differences in precollege academic preparation will explain later SME graduation disparities,…