Race and Equity in American Higher Education Post Affirmative Action: Lessons from the Gates Millenium Scholars Program

The US Supreme Court decision to outlaw Race Conscious Admissions in Higher Education struck a death blow to Affirmative Action policies that had dramatically increased the numbers of Black students attending and graduating prestigious predominantly white postsecondary institutions. The precipitous “Post Affirmative Action” decline in Black student enrollments gives urgency to identify possible alternatives to protect hard fought diversity and equity gains on the nation’s campuses to be reflective of the country’s racial and ethnic diversity. Some argue Social Class Based Admissions can be an effective tool to ensure equal access and success for Black students. The Gates Millenium Scholars Program (GMS) offers fertile soil to test this premise.

The $1.6 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Initiative has funded 20,000 high ability, low-income Black, Latino, Asian and Native American students. GMS effectively removed finances as a barrier to four-year college attendance for over 20,000 first- generation scholars. “Full ride” scholarships allowed students to pursue bachelor’s degree in any field, followed by opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in Math, Science, Engineering, Education, Library Science, or Public Health.

Our data are from the Fall 2001 GMS freshman class (510 self- classified as African American, 135 as Native American/Alaska Native, 312 as Asian Pacific Islander American, 219 as Hispanic American and 114 as White). The survey included questions on college choice, aspirations, values, family support, academic preparation, undergraduate activities, and other background information. Multi-variate analyses will allow us to specify how race, academic preparation and other background factors correlate with college choice, transition, and success.

This paper helps us better understand how race and class matter for college choice, illuminating important differences between and within racial groupings. Further, the paper engages racial and ethnic diversity as a strength to be interrogated as supportive of young adults’ positive postsecondary and identity development outcomes.