Dear Members of the Clark Community,

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision is a profound setback for institutions like ours that deeply value diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion. We unequivocally reaffirm Clark University’s commitment to bringing more diversity into our student body and building a community where our students — faculty and staff, as well — feel they belong and are empowered to succeed. This is core to who we are as an institution, as is our determination to overcome centuries of systemic racism that has been a barrier to higher education for historically underrepresented students.

We firmly believe that having a diverse student body is essential to fulfilling our mission and providing a meaningful, relevant academic experience. As a liberal arts and research institution, our highest responsibility is to ensure our students develop the skills, competencies, world view, and open mind that will help them succeed and inspire them to take on and conquer big challenges to change the world. Being an engaged member of a diverse community and learning from others who are different from you is imperative. We enroll students with vast differences in perspective and backgrounds because they enrich the entire academic and student life experience at Clark. Having the ability to assess applicants for admission holistically, based on a wide range of academic and personal factors, has served our University and our students well for many years — and it has helped us become a stronger, more welcoming, and more inclusive institution. While we may need to find new, innovative ways to cultivate and nurture diversity on our campus, our commitment will not waiver. Especially with the tremendous headwinds today pressing against the advancement of racial equity, we must redouble, not retreat from, our efforts to be a more diverse, just, and equitable University.

All of us, together, must engage in the hard and necessary work of fulfilling Clark’s academic mission and upholding our moral obligation to always be a place where learning is done by students who, through their individual talents, complexities, and histories, reflect the fullness of our world.

We have created a resource page where you can learn more about the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of race-conscious admissions, including today’s decision. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be assessing the full legal impact of the decision, and we expect to communicate further about this very important issue.

Sincerely,

David Fithian ’87
President

Sebastián Royo
Provost

Margo R. Foreman
Vice President and Chief Officer of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion