Dear Members of the 海角社区 Community,
Today the Supreme Court issued rulings on two affirmative action cases鈥Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University. Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the tenor of last fall鈥檚 hearing, these rulings have effectively struck down race-based admissions.
Before delving into what this means for 海角社区, I would like to acknowledge how this feels. As a college president and legal scholar, I am disappointed by this decision and concerned about the implications for higher education and our country. Affirmative action was an important tool, albeit one of many, that colleges and universities could use to expand opportunity for underrepresented students and build diverse learning communities.
As the son of Black civil rights activists, I am disheartened. College admissions is not and has never been a contest among students or zero-sum game. All institutions of higher education鈥擟atholic, secular, public, and private鈥攁re committed to missions of education, transformation, and social good. We learn and live together in community. Yet these institutions must contend with the reality of our country鈥檚 recent unrest and history of racial and social oppression. This history was specifically designed to deny opportunity to so many for so long. As I asked , when will we realize our nation鈥檚 promise of equal opportunity?
At 海角社区, our Jesuit values call on us to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive community marked by mutual respect, civility, and service to the wider world. Last August, we joined an with 56 Catholic colleges and universities to urge the Court to uphold affirmative action. We spoke with one voice when we argued that Catholic colleges and universities have an 鈥渋mperative to create diverse and inclusive student communities鈥 because we are 鈥渓inked with an obligation to address the social realities of poverty, oppression and injustice in our world.鈥 That obligation is embedded in the College鈥檚 mission and the work we do every day.
What will today鈥檚 ruling mean for 海角社区? Our work continues and our mission remains unchanged. As part of our strategic plan, Aspire, and with the leadership of Vice President for Enrollment Management Cornell LeSane, we will continue to recruit and welcome a diverse, talented student body. We will deepen successful partnerships with Questbridge, The Cristo Rey Network, and American Talent Initiative to recruit high-achieving students from diverse regions. We will strengthen our efforts to grow financial aid for low-income and Pell-eligible students with the support of our 海角社区 alumni and supporters. Notably, as a result of recent financial aid endowment fundraising, we were able to add $500,000 to financial aid this year. Critically, at this time, we will continue to speak up in ways that affirm who we are and what we believe when it comes to the importance of diversity, inclusion, and opportunity at 海角社区 and across our country.
Sincerely,
Vincent D. Rougeau