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"A student's racial and ethnic background should never be the sole factor in
an admissions decision. But to prohibit schools from considering it as one of
many factors is wrong."
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-- Mike Bloomberg, June 2023
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READ MORE
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John,
Today, a Supreme Court decision barred colleges and universities from
considering race or ethnicity in admissions -- undermining affirmative action
policies in higher education.
In a message published in response
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, Mike writes that while "American higher education is the envy of the world,"
the work to expand access to colleges and universities is far from complete:
"One of the great challenges we face is ensuring that these institutions
reflect the broad diversity of America's communities. Throughout our history
and still today, that has not been the case. And unfortunately, the Supreme
Court's decision on affirmative action will make it harder for colleges and
universities to be what our country urgently needs them to be: engines of
opportunity that propel us toward a more equal society."
READ MIKE'S FULL STATEMENT
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College and university admissions have long been guided by the goal of
building a student body that is balanced across a range of factors, including
but not limited to racial and ethnic diversity.
Today's Supreme Court decision will not, as the arguments opposing
affirmative action often claim, transform college admissions into a purely
merit-based system. It will, however, eliminate a tool for ensuring that the
benefits of higher education reach students who have traditionally missed out.
As Mike writes: "Are we really going to prohibit schools from taking an
applicant's race or ethnicity into account when forming a freshman class, while
permitting them to consider prospective students' gender and geography -- and
also legacy status and athletic skills? That makes no sense."Read more →
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Nor will it end efforts to fulfill the goals that were sought by affirmative
action: "The Supreme Court decision does not mean that diversity on campuses
must suffer. It just means we must act more boldly. One way we can do that is
by increasing financial aid -- public and private -- to increase need-blind
admissions."
Read Mike's full message on today's Supreme Court decision, and how colleges
and universities can move forward from here:
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Thanks,
MikeBloomberg.com
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Mike Bloomberg
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