In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on race and admissions, there is potential for confusion about legally viable options for pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion. In May 2023, with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, CGS launched a project to advance equity in graduate education in a changing legal landscape. Our goals were to better understand how universities are impacted by the Supreme Court decisions and to promote common understandings of legally sound and equitable practice among graduate deans, faculty and university legal counsel. Drawing insights from our legal partner, EducationCounsel, project consultants, advisory committee, and the graduate education community, this project resulted in a webinar series and two publications.
New Resource: Supporting Fair and Inclusive Graduate Programs
Developed specifically for graduate faculty, staff, and administrators, Supporting Fair and Inclusive Graduate Programs is the latest in a series of tools developed through the Sloan-funded project to support equity-minded graduate education in a changing legal landscape.
Navigating the Post-SFFA Landscape
This resource was developed to help higher education leaders, policymakers, and their legal counsel understand and navigate the 2023 Supreme Court decision on race and admissions (“SFFA decision.”) Developed by EducationCounsel, CGS’s legal thought partner for the Supporting Equity-Minded Graduate Education in a Changing Legal Landscape initiative, the resource reflects contributions from a wide range of higher education leaders and legal experts. This tool is designed to (1) help expand perspectives on viable diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI]-advancing avenues, consistent with relevant federal non-discrimination law, and (2) evaluate legal risks of various DEI policies and programs in light of mission-focused aims and impacts.
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A Webinar for University Leadership
Drawing from EducationCounsel's recently published resource, Navigating the Post-SFFA Landscape: Advancing Equity-Minded, Law-Attentive Priority Actions in Graduate, Undergraduate and Professional Higher Education, this webinar provided principles for informed decision-making, covering programmatic areas such as recruitment, admissions and inclusive program design, among others.
Watch the Webinar HereRead CGS's Statement
On June 29, CGS released a statement on the Supreme Court's decision in the UNC and Harvard cases.