Last month, the Supreme Court knocked down the landmark affirmative action at both Harvard and UNC. This ruling shakes up how diversity programs are enacted at college campuses across the country. In response, the Biden-Harris Administrations' U.S. Department of Education is hosting the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education on July 26, 2023, to elaborate on opportunities to provide access to exceptional educational.
This is a free "day of action" and aims to uphold the Department of Education's commitment to education and foster a more inclusive community.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona spoke about the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action once the news broke:
"I'm disappointed with the [Supreme Court] decision, I think it's taking our country backwards," Cardona said. "It's important to contextualize that it is and what it isn't. This idea of making sure our universities reflect the beautiful diversity of our country is still our mission."
One of the main issues that this ruling has surfaced is the capability for diverse groups to have equitable opportunities to educational resources and be treated fairly in society. Additionally, academic institutions across the country that lean on affirmative action programs to diversify their pool of students will now have to be extremely innovative in their approach to reach prospective applicants. This summit was created to identify these issues and find applicable resolutions.
This event is free to the public.
