To restore trust, end legacy admissions
Published in Inside Higher Ed
Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels and Occidental College President Tom Stritikus write that universities must “pull every lever we can to renew faith in our founding promise of equity and opportunity—especially in the year after the Supreme Court rendered race-conscious admissions unconstitutional.”
A bill that prohibits colleges and universities from employing legacy preferences in undergraduate admissions is headed to the California governor’s desk.
If the bill is signed, tens of thousands of entering students from lower-income and underrepresented backgrounds—students with extraordinary talents and awe-inspiring experiences—will no longer be disadvantaged simply by virtue of legacy preferences, which are admissions advantages conferred to children of alumni.
