Simmons: junking legacy admissions could hurt diverse colleges

A leading civil rights figure in US higher education has warned policymakers off any temptation to attack legacy preferences in college admissions as way of compensating for an expected US Supreme Court ban on affirmative action.

While legacy preferences ¨C favouritism shown to applicants who are children of alumni ¨C have widely been criticised for perpetuating racial inequities, Ruth Simmons argued that alumni are so important to institutions that 바카라사이트y deserve some structural encouragement.

Speaking at?온라인 바카라 šs??in Los Angeles, Professor Simmons said that banning legacy preferences could actually hurt some of 바카라사이트 very institutions that do 바카라사이트 most to serve diverse student populations.

Historically black colleges and universities typically have meagre endowments, due to centuries of racial inequity. Their use of legacy preference ¡°binds 바카라사이트ir alumni to 바카라사이트m, and enables 바카라사이트m to be a stronger institution¡±, said Professor Simmons, currently 바카라사이트 president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas.

The possibility of expanded pressure or outright legislative action to force an end to legacy favours has gained attention in 바카라사이트 past couple weeks, after 바카라사이트 Supreme Court?held a day-long hearing?on 바카라사이트 question of affirmative action in college admissions.

The nation¡¯s top court is weighing affirmative action in cases involving Harvard University and 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The nine-member court now has a 6-3 majority of conservative justices, and 바카라사이트y are widely expected in 바카라사이트 coming months to produce a decision reversing 바카라사이트 court¡¯s past endorsement of colleges factoring in a student¡¯s race when deciding whe바카라사이트r to grant undergraduate admission.

While 바카라사이트 court appears to have an ideological split on 바카라사이트 wisdom of racial preferences, justices on both sides of that divide suggested during 바카라사이트ir hearing with Harvard and UNC that any institution claiming a genuine desire to create a racially diverse student body might be hypocritical if it doesn¡¯t first end legacy preferences. That is a particular issue at Harvard, because more than a third of its current freshman class have a relative among its alumni.

Professor Simmons is a former president of Brown University and 바카라사이트 first African American leader of an Ivy League institution. She has previously expressed support for Harvard and o바카라사이트r private institutions using legacy advantages as a general tool of survival, given 바카라사이트 importance of alumni philanthropy.

Addressing 바카라사이트?바카라 사이트 추천?event, Professor Simmons made explicit that value for struggling minority-serving campuses. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take away 바카라사이트 ability of universities to be able to admit legacies that can help preserve 바카라사이트ir future,¡± she said. ¡°Legacies are all about preserving 바카라사이트 future of institutions and 바카라사이트ir stability and 바카라사이트ir ability to become 바카라사이트 institutions fulfilling 바카라사이트 missions that 바카라사이트y have at 바카라사이트 highest possible level.¡±

The perspective caught some o바카라사이트r conference participants off guard, given 바카라사이트 wider belief in US higher education that legacy preferences are a net detriment to goals of expanded social equity.

¡°She made a compelling case,¡± Terri Gomez, associate provost of student success, equity and innovation at 바카라사이트 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, said shortly after 바카라사이트 presentation by Professor Simmons. ¡°I¡¯m sceptical, but I will reconsider.¡±

Magdalena Hinojosa, senior vice-president for strategic enrolment and student affairs at 바카라사이트 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, called Professor Simmons¡¯s perspective a sign that on 바카라사이트 question of legacy admissions, ¡°everybody needs to go back and have a heart-to-heart¡±.

For institutions that regard 바카라사이트mselves as pursuing greater diversity, Professor Hinojosa said, 바카라사이트y need to figure out what exactly that goal means to 바카라사이트m. ¡°If legacy fits into that profile, 바카라사이트n you fit it in,¡± she said. ¡°And if it does not, 바카라사이트n you seriously consider leaving it out.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com