Even though the U.S. Supreme Court banned race-conscious admission programs earlier this year, the ruling still acknowledges that applicants can continue to write about how race affects their lives “through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

With that green light, counselors and colleges are encouraging applicants more than ever to explore their racial and ethnic identities and their views on diversity. How these essays influence the decisions selective colleges make could become another flash point in the volatile debate over the pursuit of racial diversity in higher education. 

Illustration: Harry Haysom

Three years ago, a handful of colleges opened centers devoted to combating systemic racism. As their newly tapped directors were still getting their bearings, the centers’ founding principles quickly came under attack.

Now, amid scrutiny from legislators and the public, the scholars who lead these centers are trying to defend their work. In this interview, six of these individuals discuss what they’ve been working on.

Some experts believe that higher education leaders need to change their thinking about community college students and their decisions to delay attending four-year institutions. For many students, the choice to study at a community college comes as a result of the multiple identities and responsibilities they hold: They do not have the luxury of only being a student. 

In this essay, two Vassar College leaders explain why the next step in diversity, equity, and inclusion work is to focus on community college transfer students.