A discussion of affirmative action issues and litigation in higher education looks at college and university employment; admissions, student financial aid, and other programs unique to educational institutions; the status of racial "diversity" as a rationale for affirmative action; and the types of activities and programs likely to withstand…

Considers how to address the topic of diversity in library and information science education, based on six possible scenarios that address situations dealing with proportional representation in library collections, minority recruitment, stereotypes, English-only policies, affirmative action, and immigrants. (LRW)

After the appellate court decision in Hopwood versus State of Texas, overturning racial preference in law school admissions, supporters of continued affirmative action policy in higher education are finding conservatives on the offensive and a chilly climate for broad access, but are not planning an aggressive counterattack for fear of negative…

Two administrators from the American Council on Education, long-time proponents of affirmative action policy in higher education, discuss the role of the organization in supporting continued affirmative action, progress in establishing multicultural college curricula, the influence of accreditation agencies, and the challenges affirmative action…

An economist discusses whether strategic use of student financial aid to achieve sound fiscal goals in higher education is at odds with the competing goal of equity. Overemphasis on efficiency will cause higher education to lose sight of its mission; while it should not shy away from rational consideration of expenses and revenues, it should…

In this article, Jonathan Jansen describes his experiences as a Black dean in the formerly all-White University of Pretoria in South Africa. The article shows how race, gender, history, and institutional culture constitute emotional terrain in which decanal leadership plays itself out in the volatile postapartheid era. In the context of South…

This study utilized a national longitudinal data set of college students to examine the educational relevance of cross-racial interaction and how campuses can best structure such opportunities. The general pattern of findings suggests that cross-racial interaction has positive effects on students' intellectual, social, and civic development. The…

In measuring the shortcomings of "Brown's" victory and legacy, the author tells us to remember that Robert Carter--best known as one of the principal attorneys who won the famous "Brown v. Board of Education" case--never underestimated the enormous difficulty of achieving racial fairness through the desegregation of public schools, or the…

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…

Some educators have developed teaching strategies to address issues of racism and discrimination in the classroom. Although these exercises are provocative and no doubt meaningful for students, they generally do not address the impact that racial group membership has on student response to provocative issues like affirmative action. In the…

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…

According to this author, by now everyone in America has learned to celebrate diversity. People do so to signify that they are a good person, they are hip, trendy, and "down with the program." He claims, however, that in academe, the word "diversity" still functions as a rhetorical trump card, always uttered with the tonal…

In April, 1991, Timothy McGuire, a third year student at Georgetown University Law Center, published an article in the Georgetown Weekly Law Review entitled "Admissions Apartheid," which accused the admissions office at Georgetown of admitting minority students who were less qualified than white students. The analysis provided in this…

These proceedings contain 18 presentations on these main themes: adult education policy, role of universities/adult education centers, affirmative action, accreditation of courses, curriculum, and rural adult education. "Welcome and Introduction" and "Introducing Professor Marjorie Mbilinyi" (Walters) precede the keynote…

To provide a progress report on efforts to increase access to minority students and diversify the teaching and administrative ranks, a study was conducted at San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC), in California, of recent trends in minority student attendance and graduation rates and the ethnic composition of faculty and administrative staff. Results…