The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has reported a decrease in Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander students in their freshman class this year as enrollment decreased to 16% from 31% in the previous year. MIT administrators attribute this drop in enrollment diversity to the Supreme Court’s decision last year to ban affirmative action in US colleges and universities even though these practices have been used for decades to drive student enrollment diversity.
“U.S college administrators revamped their recruitment and admissions strategies to comply with the court rulings and try to keep historically marginalized groups in their applicant and admit pool,” writes Gabriella Borter for Reuters on the topic. She adds that according to MIT’s president, Sally Kornbluth, “MIT’s efforts had apparently not been effective enough, and going forward the school would better advertise its generous financial aid and invest in expanding access to science and math education for young students across the country to mitigate their enrollment gaps.”
This comes as no surprise to those of us who understood the importance of affirmative action measures in addressing inequity in university admissions. While universities will likely continue to see their enrollment diversity decline as a result, make sure that your company does not lose ground on its own progress. For helpful resources to build and maintain your DEI initiative, check out PracticalESG.com’s member resources such as our checklists, “Creating your DEI Strategy” and “Dealing with Skeptics.”
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