Reviews the racial history of Harvard University Medical School. Highlights include: the schools' founding (1782); unsuccessful petitioning by black men for entry (1850); graduation of the first black student (1896); graduation of the first black women (1951); attacks on affirmative action policies (1976); founding of the Coleus Society (1988);…

Reviewed recent literature regarding the admission process to medical school to determine if current policies are helping facilitate the proper representation of minority students. Organized articles under four major themes: cognitive factors, noncognitive factors, admission interview, and enrichment programs. Found that the body of literature is…

A former Harvard University president looks at the academic considerations that led him to become an extremely dedicated advocate of affirmative action in higher education, emphasizing his belief that student diversity offers a powerful way of creating the intellectual energy needed to promote greater knowledge as well as respect for difference.…

Might it be possible to achieve some or all of the goals of affirmative action through an approach based on an entirely different definition of the problem? This article says "yes." Its logic rests not upon an approach that creates informal quotas for identified groups, but instead on one aimed at discovering merit in people who are…

Some interventions presented are a part of educational reform and ensured forward movement toward guaranteeing educational opportunities and access to the country's diverse racial and ethnic communities. A central goal of affirmative action policies is to enable students from previously segregated communities to train as leaders in a variety of…

Given the essence of the Bakke decision, it is now incumbant upon committed faculties in the nation's universities to continue to implement affirmative action policies which do, in fact, articulate race as a legitimate criterion for admission. (Author/EB)

This legal document addresses whether the University of Michigan's use of racial preferences in undergraduate admissions violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d) or 42 U.S.C. 1981. This brief filed in support of the petitioners by the federal government argues that…

Affirmative action and reverse discrimination are discussed. Facts that were omitted from the court record on the Bakke case are examined. The need for encouraging minority students and women to continue to press for school admission and for lawyers to continue to press affirmative action suits is stressed. (MC)

The Bakke decision will cause institutions to strengthen academic support programs, improve admissions procedures, and develop stronger evaluation programs. Institutions will see more "reverse discrimination" cases in the future. (Author)

Explores the debate over affirmative action in higher education in the larger historical context, arguing for a broader interpretation of affirmative action that expands it beyond racialized imagery. The expanded use of affirmative action in the 1960s and 1970s should be understood as a component of a movement to attack causes of inequality in the…

Studied policies and practices of university personnel in their use of affirmative action programs for African American students. Findings from approximately 120 university personnel suggest that public policies toward student affirmative action may play a role in establishing policies and practices, but Missouri personnel are very similar in…

The organized political efforts to dismantle affirmative action programs resulted in both advantages and disadvantages in keeping the doors of higher education open to historically underrepresented students. The advantages included short-term solutions to underrepresentation such as developing alternative admission criteria for higher education.…

Race-exclusive programs of American universities and colleges, created initially to level the playing fields for under-represented students in higher education, are now considered discriminatory and illegal. The concerns levied against higher education institutions have been in response to two 2003 U.S. Supreme Court cases on race and admission at…

In the early stages of higher education desegregation, there was a disproportionate shifting of black students to historically white institutions. Today, it is estimated that about 82% of all black students in colleges and universities are enrolled in traditionally white institutions. As desegregation proceeded, the conviction grew that it was to…

Problems of affirmative action programs in labeling minority group students as such are discussed from the viewpoint of a Mexican American who does not think of himself as disadvantaged but who was given special consideration and opportunities due to his label. (LBH)