Admissions Task Force

Vanderbilt leaders discuss Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admission

Formed in early May by the Office of the Provost in coordination with the chancellor’s office, Vanderbilt’s university-wide task force is focusing on the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to disallow the use of race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities.

The court ruled in June that race-conscious admissions practices at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, significantly limiting how colleges and universities across the country may consider race as a factor in their admissions processes going forward. 

Vanderbilt will continue to use its long-standing holistic approach to admissions to build diverse incoming classes while complying with this change in federal law

Provost C. Cybele Raver charged the task force with helping the Vanderbilt campus and community understand the implications of the High Court’s decisions and guide the university’s responses. It will play a key role in helping communicate Vanderbilt’s unwavering commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion—and in bringing to light any impacts the Supreme Court’s decisions have on students, faculty and staff in regard to the admissions and recruitment processes and beyond. 

Based on the findings of the task force, the university will provide updates regarding the decision’s impact on the Vanderbilt community, measures to address the impact and opportunities for discussion and debate.

Read Chancellor Diermeier's message to the campus community.

Task Force

  • Task Force Co-Chairs
    • Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs, dean of admissions and financial aid and associate professor of public policy and higher education (task force co-chair) 
    • André Christie-Mizell, vice provost for graduate education, dean of the graduate school, director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and Centennial Professor of Sociology (task force co-chair) 
  • Task Force Members
    • Katherine Friedman, associate provost for undergraduate education, associate professor and vice chair of biological sciences  
    • Jennifer Steffen Kimble, director of admissions, School of Medicine 
    • Catherine Gavin Loss, associate dean for academic affairs and professional education, and associate professor of the practice of leadership, Peabody College 
    • Todd Morton, assistant dean and dean of admissions, the Law School 
    • Rosevelt Noble, assistant dean of residential colleges and director of the Black Cultural Center  
    • Ernie Rushing, associate dean of enrollment, alumni and student affairs, School of Nursing 
    • Michelle Tellock, deputy general counsel 
    • Steven Townsend, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry  
    • Julianne Vernon, associate dean for academic success and assistant professor of the practice of chemical and biomolecular engineering  
    • Consuelo Hopkins Wilkins, professor of medicine and senior vice president of health equity and inclusive excellence, VUMC; senior associate dean for health equity and inclusive excellence, School of Medicine 
    • Richard Germano, assistant provost and senior director of university enrollment affairs 
    • Adrienne Hiegel, consultant, Office of the Provost 

Resources

University Counseling CenterCall 615-322-2571 to speak with an on-call behavioral health provider
Student Care CoordinationSchedule an appointment online or call 615-343-WELL (9355)
Center for Student WellbeingCall 615-322-0480 to schedule an appointment
Margaret Cuninggim Women’s CenterCall 615-322-4843 for assistance
Project SafeCall 615-322-7233 hotline for support
Center for Spiritual and Religious LifeCall 615-322-2457 for support
Employee Assistance ProgramCall 615-936-1327 for a confidential appointment

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What can we not do moving forward after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on race-conscious admissions?

    The Supreme Court’s decision prohibits universities from giving a benefit in the admissions process based on race standing alone. The court provided guidance on how to conduct holistic admissions going forward. What we cannot do includes:

    • Use an applicant's race, standing alone, as a factor in admissions, even if it is one factor among many in holistic admissions.
    • Give someone a preference in the admissions process because they indicated it or otherwise let us know their racial or ethnic identity.
  • What can we do moving forward after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on race-conscious admissions?

    We can do these things moving forward:

    • Consider an applicant's, or their recommender's, discussion of how the applicant's race or ethnicity affected his or her life.
      • For example, how it helped build courage or resilience or how their cultural heritage enriched some aspect of their life.
    • Assess applicants based on their individual experiences, qualities or characteristics 
    • Use race-neutral means to achieve institutional goals of admitting a diverse class
      • For example, applicants who are first-generation college students, speak more than one language, attended an under-resourced high school, or come from a lower socioeconomic status
    • Continue to value diversity, including based on race or ethnicity 

Suggestions and Feedback

Suggestions and/or feedback for the task force can be submitted here.

"Vanderbilt will fully comply with the law as it relates to the Supreme Court’s decision.

We are steadfast in our commitment to nurturing a diverse academic community in which we can prepare leaders with the tools, perspectives and experience they need to engage with the world and its complexities."

Daniel Diermeier
Chancellor, Vanderbilt University