The U.S. Supreme Court, on June 29, 2023, issued a ruling in the case of STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v. PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. The decision was anxiously interpreted as an end to race-based Affirmative Action. However, insufficient attention has been given to their discussions, holding that race was an underinclusive…

This paper explains the concepts of Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and the policies developed in post-Apartheid South Africa. It compares it to similar policies adopted in different contexts in Malaysia, India and the U.S.A. It explains and critiques the South African policies on AA and BEE, its history since 1994 and…

This paper reflects on the experience of the 1999-2002 minority pipeline program (MPP) at the University of California, Riverside. With support from the American Economic Association, the MPP identified students of color interested in economics, let them explore economic issues affecting minority communities, and encouraged them to consider…

This paper examines diversity strategies at selective universities across the U.S., with a particular focus on the effects of legal challenges to race-conscious admissions. Study findings are based on responses to a first-of-its-kind national survey of undergraduate admissions and enrollment management leaders administered in fall 2014. The data…

In partnership with Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, Salzburg Global Seminar hosted an international strategic dialogue of 60 thought leaders, researchers, and practitioners from institutions serving marginalized populations to…

In November, 2008, Colorado and Nebraska voted on amendments that sought to end race-based affirmative action at public universities. In anticipation of the vote, Colorado's flagship public institution--The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU)--explored statistical approaches to support class-based affirmative action. This paper details CU's…

This paper looks at the net societal balance of post-independence affirmative action policies in Malaysia. Social imbalances prompted the country to implement affirmative policies to uplift the majority natives (Malays, Indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak, etc.). These policies were reluctantly accepted by the immigrant communities (Chinese,…

This paper discusses legal implications for employment as a result of Bakke v. Regents of University of California, a reverse discrimination case that ruled in favor of the plaintiff. It refers to Weber v. Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation, a case that may turn out to be more significant than Bakke because it involves jobs, money, and who…

Blacks still suffer from the effects of past discrimination combined with continuing discrimination based on negative stereotypes and irrational prejudices. That disadvantage must be overcome through vigorous affirmative action programs. (Author/IRT)

This paper, by the president of West Virginia University (WVU), discusses the impact of the Brown decision on that institution and on higher education in general. Following the Gaines decision of 1938, WVU adopted a policy of admitting Black students to its graduate and professional schools because advanced educational programs were not available…

Most studies of the economic progress of African Americans have focused on income or narrower measures, such as learning, to assess the extent to which any gains relative to other ethnic groups can be attributed to factors such as declining racial discrimination, affirmative action policies, changes in industrial composition, or a narrowing of the…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether affirmative action plans for public schools and institutions of higher education can be justified under the compelling interest clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Part 1 of the paper provides an historical as well as legal chronology of affirmative action in the U.S. Part 2 takes an analytical look…

In this article, the author discusses the practical, theoretical, and empirical rationale for linking diversity with the central educational and civic mission of higher education. While these links may be obvious to some, oftentimes diversity and race issues are conspicuously absent from discussions about learning and civic education. This…

Senator Orrin Hatch argues that affirmative action is illegal, immoral, and won't work. (IRT)

Examines the general status of Blacks in American graduate education and in political science and the South in particular. Available from The Journal of Politics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; $5.00 per issue. (Author/IRT)