ABSTRACT

The highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision in Fisher v. University of Texas placed a greater onus on higher education institutions to provide evidence supporting the need for affirmative action policies on their respective campuses. It is now more critical than ever that institutional leaders and scholars understand the evidence in support of race consideration in admissions as well as the challenges of the post-Fisher landscape.

This important volume shares information documented for the Fisher case and provides empirical evidence to help inform scholarly conversation and institutions’ decisions regarding race-conscious practices in higher education. With contributions from scholars and experts involved in the Fisher case, this edited volume documents and shares lessons learned from the collaborative efforts of the social science, educational, and legal communities. Affirmative Action and Racial Equity is a critical resource for higher education scholars and administrators to understand the nuances of the affirmative action legal debate and to identify the challenges and potential strategies toward racial equity and inclusion moving forward.

part I|101 pages

Background and Evidence Submitted

chapter 2|21 pages

Leadership, Citizenship, and Civic Capacity

The Imperative of Racial Diversity for Realizing Higher Education's Public Mission 1

chapter 4|17 pages

Tejas es Diferente

UT Austin's Admissions Program in Light of Its Exclusionary History 1

part II|107 pages

Lessons and Strategies Moving Forward

chapter 6|25 pages

The Mismatch Myth in U.S. Higher Education

A Synthesis of Empirical Evidence at the Law School and Undergraduate Levels

chapter 7|20 pages

Amplifying Asian American Presence

Contending With Dominant Racial Narratives in Fisher

chapter 8|15 pages

From Access to Outcomes

Considering the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan and Its Relationship to Student Persistence

chapter 9|21 pages

Walking the Diversity Rationale Talk

A Call to Institutions

chapter 10|24 pages

Reflections on the Diversity (Rationale) Literature

Examining the Potential and Need for Critical Diversity Research Praxis

chapter |9 pages

Afterword

Working Collectively Toward Racial Equity in Higher Education Policy