“What do we lose as a nation when we make it harder for some of the most gifted among us to earn a college degree? What do we gain when we leverage our nation’s strengths?” writes President Kathleen Harring in an op-ed published on LehighValleyNews.com.
She continues:
On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Students for Fair Admissions vs. President and Fellows of Harvard College, overturning 45 years of precedent for the consideration of race in higher education admissions. Without question, this places our nation on the wrong side of history. And, judging by the evidence offered by states that already have bans on race-conscious admissions, this will create more barriers to higher education among individuals who face racial and ethnic discrimination and make it more difficult for colleges and universities to build a diverse community of students we want to attract.
What remains to be seen is how much damage this ruling might do to our competitiveness as a nation–and how colleges and universities can help mitigate it.