Affirmative Action, Innovation and the Financial Future: A Survey of Presidents

By Doug Lederman. With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to rule (again) on the constitutionality of considering race in college admissions, higher education leaders have been in virtual lockstep -- through legal briefs filed by scores of groups and associations, newspaper op-eds by individual presidents, and the like -- in asserting that curtailing affirmative action would hurt the quality of the education students receive.
"The diversity we seek and the future of the nation do require that colleges and universities continue to be able to reach out and make a conscious effort to build healthy and diverse learning environments that are appropriate for their missions," the board of the American Council on Education, the country's main association of college presidents, asserted in a resolution related to the case last year. "The success of higher education and the strength of our democracy depend on it." A report of the survey's results can be downloaded here. Read more...