Dear 5XÉçÇø Students, Faculty and Staff,
The country has been awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on two cases that would decide the fate of affirmative action in higher education and, as we expected, the court struck down affirmative action as we have known it.
The lawsuits – Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina – challenged the use of race-conscious admissions practices by colleges and universities.
Kent State monitored the cases, and we have begun to assess the impact of the court’s ruling. As I noted in a recent communication to you, we are about ready to establish an online information site that will share analyses of the impacts of this Supreme Court ruling, the coming final version of Ohio’s state budget, which includes much of the higher education-affecting Senate Bill 83 language, and then any upcoming state and federal legislation or court decisions that will focus on higher education as we move through the 2024 election cycle.
Our commitment to providing access to the opportunities of a students-first education at Kent State is unwavering. Further, we will draw from lessons learned in our own unique history to lead with our values within a divided world. With kindness and respect, we will continue to encourage and support a diverse student body across all our campuses.
Just last week, a team from three different public universities was visiting our Kent Campus to assess some of our enrollment practices and made the unsolicited observation that our university truly creates a sense of belonging for our students and all members of our community. Related to this, we recently conducted a market study on our students-first positioning and, among its many findings, prospective undergrads, and their families alike, placed their highest values on Kent State’s diversity, evident in many forms, as our university’s greatest attribute.
One thing is clear: This Supreme Court outcome will not affect our deep commitment to access and completion for all Kent State students.
We will continue our discussion and learning together, as we move through the summer, preparing for our coming academic year.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President