BPIA PRESIDENT STATEMENT ON U.S. SUPREME COURT’S ANTI-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING

June 30, 2023?

Statement from BPIA President on the Anti-Affirmative Action Supreme Court Ruling

On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of “race” as a specific basis for granting college and university admissions, essentially eliminating affirmative action programs and policies in our nation’s postsecondary educational system. (Click here to read the decision.) 20-1199 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (06/29/2023) (supremecourt.gov).?

For over 30 years, BPIA has promoted diversity and inclusion in international affairs, particularly in international education. This ruling is an attempt to unwind decades of progress made by our higher education institutions. Looking past college admittance, how will such a? ruling affect our nation’s workforce and leadership in five to ten years? The graduates of these institutions eventually go on to become our nation’s leaders of government, industry, and legislation. Those leaders should be reflective of the diversity of America.?

Our nation’s institutions have a duty to remove systemic barriers for underrepresented students, not create more of them.?

As Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks stated yesterday, “For decades, the consideration of racial diversity at educational institutions has played a role in breaking down systemic barriers for underrepresented students and advancing our nation’s fundamental ideals of inclusivity and opportunity. Every student deserves a fair chance at success no matter their racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic background.”

Diversity Abroad Statement (here)

This ruling is both concerning and unfortunately a part of a national trend that undermines efforts to diversify access to and achieve inclusive success in higher education. As an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in international education, we believe that this ruling will have significant implications for our efforts to diversify education abroad, attract international students to the United States, and create inclusive learning environments.

As with past state-level initiatives that have restricted the use of race in the admissions process (e.g., California, Washington, Michigan), we anticipate that many selective institutions will struggle to admit racially minoritized students in future classes. These institutions also disproportionately send the most students abroad and receive the most international students. As such, the ruling will pose a challenge to ongoing efforts to diversify the field of international education. Our analysis from earlier this month offers a detailed look at the challenges and opportunities our field now must confront in the new policy reality.