Commonwealth Policy Center

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on a case that could eliminate race-based admissions practices for colleges and universities. However, a group of college presidents wrote an open letter in support of these practices. They argue if colleges aren’t allowed to know their applicants race, then universities won’t reflect the ethnic make-up of America. But what does this have to do with education? While diversity has been pushed by higher education for decades, it undermines personal character qualities that schools should consider as entrance requirements. Regardless of someone’s race or ethnicity, success depends on hard work, perseverance, and qualifying grades, not ethnicity. Instead of focusing on the color of their students’ skin, educators should focus on the content of their students’ character and ability.