Experts from across the nation came to campus Sept. 25-26 to discuss educational inequality and explore how colleges can improve access for a broader population of prospective students.
Panelists, who gave TED-style talks at “Admissions: The Road to Higher Education for All” and led roundtable discussions, included political and public-policy leaders; college admissions professionals; leaders from nonprofits and organizations such as the Lumina Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Association of American Colleges & Universities; and members of the media.
The conference included a well-attended keynote presentation by Lani Guinier, the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America, who discussed “Democratizing Education: The Power of Diversity with Collaboration.”
In her remarks, Guinier said, “Expecting individual people to hold a problem on their shoulders to show off that they’re smart may seem reinforcing, but over time, in many ways, it will be a very heavy load. … The way in which we can solve problems in this country is based on the ability to work with others, in particular with people who are different from you and who can bring something different to the experience.”
Videos and more information about the conference can be seen at: https://blogs.goucher.edu/higheredforall/