2017 Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions The Need for Diversity in Higher Education

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1 2017 Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions The Need for Diversity in Higher Education Ted Spencer Senior Advisor on Admissions Outreach Office of Undergraduate Admissions University of Michigan

2 Court Decisions Dred Scott 1857 Former slaves were considered as property of their owners The 14 th Amendment 1868 Granted Citizenship to all persons born in the U.S. Plessy vs. Ferguson 1896 The Supreme Court allowed for a separate but equal doctrine in many areas of public interest, such as restaurants, theatres, restrooms and public schools Brown vs. The Board of Education 1954 The Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional The 1964 Civil Rights Act Outlawed segregation in public accommodations and job discrimination based on race, sex, religion or national origin The Bakke Decision 1978 Ruled that race can be one of many factors in College admission (broaden the interpretation of discrimination)

3 Court Decisions (contd) The Michigan Supreme Court Decision 2003 Proposition Texas vs. Fisher 2013 Schuette vs. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action 2014 The concept of race is a learned behavior When I look up the word race, the modern dictionary definitions show that in earlier centuries, the term was used to mean lineage - a derivation from kin and family grouping. The term race first appeared in the 16th Century. Only in the 19th Century did it become biologized. It was then that races of mankind were classified and ordered, with whites being ranked at the top.

4 The Value of Diversity It s Good for Everyone Early educators thought of diversity in terms of ideas differences in opinions/views. J.S. Mill stressed the value of bringing human beings in contact with persons dissimilar to themselves. Civil War era Harvard offers admission to students from every state and territory, hoping to remove prejudices by bringing them into friendly relations. Within 25 years after its founding, U-M had become the nation s largest university We The People.

5 Aggressive Diversity Policies vs. Perception 25 years before Bakke most Higher Ed Institutions adopted aggressive policies for student recruitment, admissions, outreach, and financial aid. All as part of their effort to increase minority enrollments. Public perception often opposed granting admission on factors other than merit.

6 The Supreme Court Agrees to Hear the Cases

7 The two lawsuits filed against the University of Michigan Legal decisions by the U.S. District Court Legal decisions by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court Center for Individual Rights (CIR) The Interveners University of Michigan

8 Reality Even with aggressive affirmative action policies, colleges never achieved a critical mass of minority students on campus. Higher Ed learned that unequal educational background, history of segregation, unequal public schools, huge gaps in test scores all significantly limited colleges efforts to achieve a critical mass of minority students.

9 Critical Mass Critical mass is not a specific number. Rather, it is an educational concept that refers to enrolling enough minority students such that all students can benefit from diversity, minority and majority alike, and have meaningful interactions in the classroom, residence halls, and social and extracurricular settings.

10 Part of Our Argument Included Some Rather Compelling Data

11 Mean SAT I Math Score by Annual Family Income Level for 2003 Test-takers (National data) Less than $10K $10-20K $20-30K $30-40K $40-50K $50-60K $60-70K $70-80K $80-100K >$100K

12 Mean SAT I Math Score by Highest Level of Parent Education for 2003 Test-takers (National data) No High School Diploma High School Diploma Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Graduate Degree

13 Shape of the River Not until the Bowen and Bok study did we have enough data to show the benefits of diversity in summary. Shape of the River Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions William G. Bowen and Derek Bok, 1998

14 Bok and Bowen Examines long-term consequences of considering race in higher education admissions Surveyed 45,000 students of all races between Focused on African-Americans because more data available

15 Findings By 2010, minority groups will compose 52% of the under 18 population (1) Black students who enter selective institutions with somewhat lower grades and scores than majority students do not suffer academically, psychologically or economically from being mismatched

16 Findings (contd) Graduation rates of black students increase with the selectivity of the institution 75% of black students graduated in under six years Achieved greater social and academic success at selective institutions

17 Student Opinions 80% of white graduates want the same or more emphasis placed on diversity at their alma mater. Large numbers of black and white graduates believe that their college experiences in diverse settings contributed to their ability to work and socialize with other races.

18 When race is not considered, the probability of admission for white applicants at selective institutions goes from 25% to only 26.5%!

19 Mission Statement The University of Michigan seeks to enroll and graduate applicants who will develop and grow educationally and personally and contribute to the University community, the State of Michigan, and the broader society. To that end, the role of the Undergraduate Admissions Office is to recruit, admit, and encourage enrollment of applicants who are academically excellent, accomplished in extracurricular endeavors, and broadly diverse. It is the University s experience and judgment that this mix of students will foster the vibrant educational atmosphere that provides the best educational experience for all students.

20 College Size (Undergrad FTE) % Black Undergrad Black Student n Black 6yr Grad Rate Harvard University 8, % % Stanford University 7, % % University of Pennsylvania 10, % % Northwestern University 8, % % Princeton University 5, % % Yale University 5, % % University of Chicago 5, % % University of Notre Dame 8, % % Columbia University 7, % % Cornell University 14, % % University of Virginia 15, % % University of Southern California 17, % % UNC at Chapel Hill 17, % % MIT 4, % % University of California-Los Angeles 28, % % University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 27, % % University of Maryland-College Park 25, % % University of Illinois 31, % % New York University 21, % % University of California-Berkeley 25, % % Ohio State University-Main Campus 41, % % University of Wisconsin-Madison 29, % % Pennsylvania State 39, % % The University of Texas at Austin 37, % % Michigan State University 35, % % Collegeresults.org (2014 data)

21 2016 Graduating Class: 1000* and Above SAT I Test Takers by Ethnicity by Selected GPA Range National Michigan B+ or Above A- or Above B+ or Above A- or Above % of Total Number % of Total Number % of Total Number % of Total Number African- American 37, % 27, % % % American Indian 8, % 6, % % % Asian 94, % 78, % % % Hispanic* 85, % 64, % % % Other 3, % 2, % % % White 420, % 340, % 2, % 1, % No Response 6, % 5, % % % Total 656, % 525, % 3, % 2, % Source: The College Board EPS Query * includes Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Other includes Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander Preliminary & Advisory / Privileged & Confidential 21