Mission Impossible? The Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action and the University Mission
Preferred Delivery
In-Person
Length of Presentation
50 minutes
Start Date
20-10-2023 2:00 PM
End Date
20-10-2023 2:50 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that race-conscious college admissions programs are unconstitutional. This decision is rendered at a time in which college mission statements often include a commitment to diversity, as well as the promotion of socially responsible and civically engaged graduates. This Court decision will make it difficult for many colleges to live up to these aspects of their missions. While much of the public conversation in the wake of this decision has focused on how it will limit opportunities for underrepresented groups and reduce diversity on campuses, this session focuses primarily on how this decision and reduced diversity may reduce feelings of social responsibility, constrain civic engagement, and, more specifically, limit the anti-racist attitudes and activities of future graduates.
Description
This session is designed to help attendees think critically about the wide-reaching implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard—a decision that held that race-conscious admissions programs are unconstitutional. While much of the discussion regarding this Court decision has centered on reduced opportunities historically underrepresented groups are likely to face as affirmative action programs disappear, this session will focus more on the benefits of campus and classroom diversity. In this session, theoretical attention will be given to the effects campus and classroom diversity has on social awareness, civic engagement, and, more specifically, anti-racist attitudes and activities. Noting that social responsibility and civic engagement are often promoted within college mission statements, it is likely that the Court’s decision will make it increasingly difficult for many schools to accomplish these aspects of their mission if diversity decreases.
With a broad focus on college mission statements and campus diversity, this session is relevant for administrators and leaders on college campuses. With theoretical attention given to exploring the benefits of diversity in the college classroom—most notably, social science classrooms—the information presented in this session is also relevant for individual instructors, especially those that discuss society and social conditions in their courses. This session will conclude with a discussion of strategies colleges and instructors can implement to support university-level commitments to developing socially responsible and civically engaged graduates, thus helping attendees identify both potential new challenges brought about by the Supreme Court’s recent decision and strategies to address them.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Mission Impossible? The Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action and the University Mission
In a recent decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that race-conscious college admissions programs are unconstitutional. This decision is rendered at a time in which college mission statements often include a commitment to diversity, as well as the promotion of socially responsible and civically engaged graduates. This Court decision will make it difficult for many colleges to live up to these aspects of their missions. While much of the public conversation in the wake of this decision has focused on how it will limit opportunities for underrepresented groups and reduce diversity on campuses, this session focuses primarily on how this decision and reduced diversity may reduce feelings of social responsibility, constrain civic engagement, and, more specifically, limit the anti-racist attitudes and activities of future graduates.
Speaker Information
Wade Smith is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology at Eastern Illinois University. Combining his research interests in race and ethnic relations and social change processes, his recent research focuses on antiracist social movements and the cultural challenges they face in the contemporary era.