“This is a sad day for our country. Today’s misguided decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is an attempt to move America in the wrong direction. The court has tossed aside more than four decades of precedent that has allowed colleges and universities to pursue the critical interest of a diverse student body. By denying colleges and universities an essential tool for inviting students with diverse perspectives and experiences to their campuses, this ruling will harm the educational experience of all students.
We will not allow this decision to move our country backward. Instead, colleges and universities will redouble efforts to pursue our missions, which absolutely requires maintaining equitable and diverse campuses. We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide inclusive and welcoming educational environments for all our students and their communities.
The Supreme Court’s holding in this case may have taken away one arrow in our quiver, but it cannot dictate our institutional missions or prevent us from providing access and equity in the distribution of educational opportunities. The American Council on Education and other higher education associations will stand with our institutions and assist in these critical efforts.
Let us be clear: diversity matters in an educational environment. This is not an opinion, it is a fact, one not altered by today’s ruling, and one that impacts our entire society. As briefs from major corporations and high-ranking former military officers stressed, diversity in the classroom leads directly to a more productive workforce and cohesive armed forces. An institution’s commitment to maintaining inclusive, welcoming, and diverse educational environments is as important today as it was the day before this ruling, and this decision will not change that. As sad and as misguided as today's decision is, we must strengthen our efforts to ensure that America's colleges and universities reflect the broad diversity of our nation.”