Some affirmative action and diversity program critics are cheering President Barack Obama's election because they believe his success dramatically undermines the argument that discrimination remains a significant barrier for minorities in American life. Ward Connerly Jr., arguably the most visible anti-affirmative action activist in the United…

Discusses one scholar who believes that even though the Supreme Court has yet to rule on the University of Michigan admissions cases, Americans already are living in a post-affirmative action world. For this particular scholar, a ruling against Michigan might boost minority achievement. Others, however, are less optimistic. (EV)

In recent years, corporate executives and local bar association officials have increasingly questioned why so few of the nation's elite corporate law firms can claim significant racial and ethnic diversity among their partner or upper management ranks. Some organizations have even pledged to reward law firms that ensure high-level assignments for…

Introducing the "Champions of Diversity" in the Academic Kickoff issue proved a timely reminder of the mission of Diverse during the lead up to the 25th anniversary of Cox, Matthews and Associates, the founder of the former Black Issues in Higher Education and publisher of Diverse. In this edition, the editors at Diverse unveil its second slate of…

Academic officials have begun taking stock of their admissions policies in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the University of Michigan admissions case. The survival of the use of race in college admissions has supporters breathing a little easier for the time being. (SLD)

Scholars who have examined the Black presence in elite colleges and universities have reported that 41 percent of Black freshmen at 28 selective schools identified themselves as immigrants, children of immigrants or mixed race. While schools have not yet clarified their position on affirmative action with regard to native Black American students,…

The anti-affirmative-action climate appears to have affected the Association of American Medical Colleges' Project 3000 X 2000, which seeks to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering medical schools to 3,000 by the year 2000. Despite early enrollment gains, the number of underrepresented minorities among freshman medical…

While Texas officials scramble to adopt race-neutral admissions and financial aid policies in the public higher education systems, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has opened an inquiry into system compliance with civil rights legislation. Texas is the only state that prohibits affirmative action in higher education…

Discusses class-based, or economic, affirmative action, touted by the Bush administration as a race-neutral alternative to race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions. Explores whether such policies will result in fewer minority admissions and considers the "fairness" of the approach. (SLD)

Coalition-building among Black and Latino groups is an effective way of shaping public policy. Since the Civil Rights era, the groups have found common ground in issues and candidates at all levels. Nationally, coalitions have generally revolved around specific issues (affirmative action, education, anti-discrimination, census). As Latino…

The numbers of African Americans and other minorities earning graduate and professional degrees at American colleges and universities (1991-95) increased at rates much higher than those of the general graduate student population. The trend is attributed to recruitment in the 1980s and 1990s. However, some predict the trend will end if the backlash…

Race-conscious affirmative action in higher education survived a close challenge in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race was a valid academic admission criteria in the "Grutter v. Bollinger" case. Two years later, a number of "pipeline" programs to help under-represented minorities gain admission to and complete graduate school have…

The December 1997 conference of the National Association of Scholars reflected the association's opposition to both affirmative action policy in higher education and multiculturalism. Much of the discussion on racial preference focused on the academic performance of African Americans in relation to other racial and ethnic groups. Multiculturalism…