On the Alleged Need to "Improve Diversity" in Grad Admissions

George Leef

In this week's Pope Center Clarion Call, Professor Jonathan Marks takes a critical look at a recent book by Julie Posselt. Her book is based on research into the decision-making at ten grad departments at some top universities. She found that it isn't very careful or objective, with decisions often based on nothing more than whether the candidate seems to have "grit" or is "cool." Her big point is that, despite all the pressure for "diversity," grad schools should be even more attuned to admitting students who fall into one of the "underrepresented" categories. Professor Marks pushes back strongly against that notion.

 

Image: Students by Bart Everson // CC BY

  • Share

Most Commented

June 5, 2024

1.

Subpoenas for All!

Ohio Northern University gnaws its teeth with an appetite for vindictive lawfare....

June 6, 2024

2.

Backlash: Sometimes It Hurts So Good

We have undermined the leftist status quo in higher education for decades with the persistence of Morlocks. You really should be more alarmed about us than you are. Not that I’m going......

May 7, 2024

3.

Biden Admin Is Weaponizing Title IX To Promote Fringe Sexual Politics

Earlier this month, the Office for Civil Rights in the Biden Education Department issued a new regulation on how schools must observe Title IX. This rule transf......

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

May 12, 2017

3.

Harvard Prepares to Host All Black Graduation

Is Harvard's all black graduation a benign trend or a step backwards? ...