The Chronicle covers recommendations on how colleges can move from pledges of racial equity towards strategic action. Findings from the report “Moving From Words to Action” by NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education showed that few statements from institutions acknowledging the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor listed measures institutions would be taking. Hundreds of diversity officers convened a task force this year, establishing antiracism strategies in the newly released guideline: “A Framework for Advancing Anti-Racism Strategy on Campus.” The framework expands on 10 focus areas institutions should prioritize to improve conditions for Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, which include resource allocation, curriculum and pedagogy, admissions and access, campus climate, and more.
The Chronicle reports on a new campaign initiative to help refugee immigrants resettle in the United States and access higher education. On Thursday, The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration announced the RESPONSE campaign, which creates college sponsorship for refugee students to obtain legal permanent residence in the United States, and enroll at a participating postsecondary institution. Refugees who qualify would enter the country under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, a new private-sponsorship category. Additionally, participating colleges will also offer financial, social, and logistical support. The initiative would provide refugee students the opportunity to stay protected in the country and significantly increase the number of refugee students at U.S. colleges.
A new report titled “HBCUs Transforming Generations: Social Mobility Outcomes for HBCU Alumni” found that historically Black colleges and universities are better vehicles of social mobility than other institutions. Contrary to preconception, the report shows that elite institutions are not the only accelerator to social mobility for Black students. The research analyzed “access rates,” a college student’s family income, and “success rates,” the student’s income post-graduation, across 1,285 public and private nonprofit colleges, 50 being HBCUs. The study then examined the “mobility rate” of students’ earning incomes after graduating and found that HBCUs’ mobility rates outperformed all institutions, including elite or “Ivy Plus” colleges.