What have been the results of affirmative action programs in higher education?
A. Affirmative action creates more open, fair, and meaningful access to higher education for all qualified members of our society. Over the past 30 years, affirmative action has contributed to increases in the number of women and people of color enrolling and graduating from colleges and universities. Since the late 1980s, students of color have increased their total college enrollment by 57.2 percent, and the proportion of women earning bachelor’s degrees is increasing steadily. The Supreme Court agrees that student body diversity is a compelling interest in affirmative action programs at colleges and universities, given that it “better prepares students for an increasingly diverse workforce and society, and better prepares them as professionals” (Supreme Court majority opinion, Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003). Q. Why do some people oppose affirmative action programs? A. Misperceptions drive much of the opposition to affirmative action. Large numbers of white Americans incorrectly believe
