Executive Summary

In August 2023, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences convened a group of more than forty university presidents, provosts, senior administrators, and experts for a candid, forward-looking discussion among colleagues who shared effective policies and strategies for accelerating progress toward a more equitable and diverse U.S. system of higher education. The aims of this exploratory meeting were twofold: to support the commitment of institutional leaders to equitable and diverse higher education; and to support bold institutional action to advance equitable access, opportunity, experience, and outcomes for students of color, as for all students—in accordance with the new legal parameters for policy and program design. Meeting participants and meeting session titles are listed in the appendices to this report.

The exploratory meeting was cochaired by university leaders Kim Wilcox, chancellor of the University of California, Riverside, and Joanne Berger-Sweeney, president of Trinity College. The cochairs led the meeting in a call to action, reminding attendees not to lose sight of their commitment to their students and to the decades-long work of making higher education a more diverse and equitable space. Additionally, the Academy partnered with Jamie Lewis Keith and Art Coleman of EducationCounsel. They emphasized that the law is a “design parameter” and noted that those within higher education already navigate design parameters every day for innovation. The Academy also partnered with the American Council on Education (ACE), whose president, Ted Mitchell, provided examples of the challenges higher education institutions face and how effective leadership can help overcome them.

Participants emphasized such key themes as centering equity throughout campus; uniting committed and collaborative university leaders for systemic change; communicating the value of equity to constituents; fostering community partnerships; and highlighting and funding the valuable expertise and contributions of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

A comprehensive, multifaceted strategy for accelerating racial equity and diversity interests in higher education by addressing these key themes is pivotal to navigating the challenges of the current contentious environment and advancing the cause of equitable higher education for all students. The ideas and insights discussed during the meeting are organized thematically below.