Statement from President Jack Warner on SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision

Dear campus community,

As you may know, today the Supreme Court issued a ruling that strikes down race-based Affirmative Action in college admissions. 

Read more here: 

From NPR: "Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action in college admissions"

From NBC News: "Four things students need to know after the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action"

We are actively studying the ruling in detail to determine its impact on our current policies and practices. At first glance, this decision – although a big blow to advancing representation in higher education – is really going to affect elite colleges that have quotas or goals around their admissions explicitly based on race, such as Harvard and UNC Chapel Hill. That said, any roll back of protections to civil rights is a threat to all of us.

RIC is an institution focused on access and opportunity, meaning our admission criteria relies on a holistic review of candidates' academic preparation demonstrated by their transcripts, grade point averages, writing, and letters of recommendation, with little to no reliance on standardized testing or other criteria. This dramatic decision will have less of an immediate impact on our work to continue to fulfill our mission.

The educational disparities we see across racial and ethnic lines in this country have persisted for far too long. We believe that the most effective way to eliminate those disparities is through the intentional application of resources and policies in the direction of equity and inclusive excellence. This decision by the Supreme Court makes that challenge more difficult. We are proud that Rhode Island College has an increasingly diverse student body that looks more like the state we serve every day, and we will work continuously to better serve our mission to be a school of opportunity for all Rhode Islanders.

We are confident that our commitment to inclusive excellence will continue to foster diversity in our student body regardless of the impacts of this ruling, and we will double down on our efforts to deliver equity in educational opportunities for all students.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jack R. Warner
President, Rhode Island College