Former Duke University President Sally Kornbluth said 68% of admitted white students decided to attend Duke, compared with just 39% of admitted black students, and that the university needed to create a more welcoming environment. The statement was made during a virtual conference. “Living as a Black Person” Symposium In July 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the announcement of Duke University Anti-racismBut later they abandoned the term, “Racial equality” Four years later, Duke University undermined its stated commitments by cutting race-conscious scholarships and changing its merit-based aid notification schedule.
I’m a recent graduate of Duke University. My interest in health policy brought me to Washington, DC, to attend George Washington University and take a research position with the Social Mission Alliance. The Alliance focuses on research and advocacy around equitable conditions in health professions schools to ensure these schools are well responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. A few weeks into the position, I learned that the Alliance would be hosting a conference in April 2024 in collaboration with the Duke University School of Nursing. I was excited to return to my alma mater to share what we’ve been working on and learn about others’ health equity efforts.
On April 9th, the second to last day of the conference, I finished my presentation and opened my inbox to find an email. Tell the end Duke University decided to eliminate the Reginald Howard Memorial Scholarship for Black students, citing the legal situation following the Supreme Court decision on race-based admissions. I didn’t miss the irony of praising Duke’s commitment to equality in one area, namely the School of Nursing, while another area suffers.
This announcement National press, and student, Faculty, Alumniand non-affiliated individuals have also expressed concern. The abolition of the Reggie Scholarship would affect existing diversity scholarships administered by the Alumni Association, as well as Student movement activities Implement scholarship programs for other marginalized students, such as Native American and Indigenous students.
The end of the “Reggie” scholarship was a surprise, but it wasn’t the only change. A few months earlier, the university had decided to move all merit scholarships to a “post-enrollment” model, in which students are notified of their scholarship recommendations only after the final enrollment deadline. Both of these changes could negatively impact black and other underrepresented students, because financial aid plays a larger role in their enrollment choices.
After Kornbluth’s talk at the 2020 symposium, I article The Duke Chronicle ran an article exploring why black students who were accepted to Duke were less likely than white students to attend. I spoke with black students who had been accepted to Duke but chose to attend other universities. One student told me that the university he chose offered him a scholarship, but Duke did not. The director of Duke’s Black Cultural Center at the time told me that financial aid and campus atmosphere were the main factors that influenced black students’ choice of university.
These answers echoed my own experiences as a high school senior choosing a college. In my case, I chose Duke. University Scholarships This scholarship program is what ultimately led me to college, and participating in this program greatly shaped my undergraduate experience. With the exception of the application-based Robertson Scholarship, all merit scholarship candidates are reviewed by the admissions office and referred to their respective scholarship programs, which select the recipients. The Reggie Scholarship was also included in this process. Through the 2023-2024 academic year, scholarship finalists were notified before the May 1 deadline and invited to campus for interviews and events for admitted students. Although I had visited campus on my own before being selected as a scholarship finalist, returning for Finalist Weekend in 2019 (and the Black Student Alliance Invitational, which took place the same weekend) helped me feel even more integrated into the campus community and ultimately helped me commit to attending Duke University.
In November 2023, current and former Merit Scholars signed a letter sent to the University in April 2024 opposing the abolition of the “pre-admission” selection process. Current Scholars also expressed dissatisfaction In the student newspaper Infer The change comes after voicing legal concerns and concerns about socioeconomic diversity. While most merit scholarships do not require proof of financial need, many first-generation and low-income students have received merit scholarships in recent years, and two scholarships in particular, Rubenstein Scholarship And that University Scholarships – is intended for students who need financial assistance. Merit Scholars also have access to community and dedicated enrichment funds for internships and research. For this reason, Merit Scholars are more than just financial aid; certain criteria must be met to maintain the scholarship.
Duke’s changes come in the larger context of a social justice backlash in North Carolina. The University of North Carolina System, which governs 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for 11th and 12th graders, recently Obsolete A regent at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently said that North Carolina will “follow Florida’s path when it comes to DEI.” Texas I saw the university Laying off DEI staffStudent staff at the UNC Chapel Hill Office of Diversity and Inclusion ResignedNorth Carolina too Banned Specific discussion of racism, sexism and politics in the civil service workplace in 2023.
Duke is Protected In response to criticism of the scholarship changes, Duke pointed to its recent efforts to cover tuition fees for students from North and South Carolina, as well as its involvement with QuestBridge, a program that helps high-achieving, low-income students apply to top universities. Students who are matched to Duke through QuestBridge have 100 percent of their demonstrated financial need covered by the university for four years. Jenny Wood Crowley, assistant vice president for undergraduate education, also said: He told the Duke Chronicle Post-admission scholarships allow universities to more closely screen students’ financial circumstances before awarding them scholarships.
Instead of the Reggie Scholarship, the university will redirect the funds toward need-based aid and non-selective leadership programs that focus on “enrichment opportunities.” In a May 6 email to alumni, President Alec Gallimore said redirecting the funds toward need-based aid would be more beneficial to Duke’s black students, because 85% to 92% of black students who enroll each year receive financial aid and more than half are Pell Grant recipients.
Nevertheless, scholarship changes may still have a negative impact on recruiting diverse students. Eliminating the Reggie Scholarship would not increase students of color’s confidence in the campus environment, and forcing students to commit before a scholarship is offered could lead to students choosing to go to other colleges for financial reasons.
I also want to emphasize again how valuable these programs are to students. My scholarship director became my go-to person academically and emotionally. My program, in particular, was the only merit scholar program that included undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, so I was able to build relationships with people at all educational levels. Undergraduates were paired with mentors who shared similar interests, I was paired with people who shared my interest in scientific research, and those interested in health professions were paired with medical and nursing students. We participated in academic enrichment and volunteer work together. Having a merit scholarship gives me peace of mind rather than having the university redetermine my financial need every year. Additionally, not having to do work-study gave me more time to pursue on-campus opportunities. Research Points Employment is a barrier to campus activity for about one-third of undergraduates, and the scholarship allowed me to graduate debt-free, which has been extremely helpful now that I have taken out loans to earn my MPH.
The situation at Duke is still evolving, and students and alumni are actively discussing next steps. During my year as a research associate at the Alliance, I have spent time examining the strategies the school uses to execute its social mission. The research is was suggested Colleges are less likely to advertise in areas with high concentrations of low-income people or people who identify as racial or ethnic minorities other than Black.
It also suggests that college recruiters tend to visit schools that are predominantly white and wealthy. This needs to change. Targeted Recruitment Still permitted by the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, these efforts could bring about change. Latino student activists at Duke University Requested In recent years, Duke has targeted its recruitment to diverse areas, and given student concerns about socioeconomic diversity on the admissions schedule, it is imperative that Duke reach out to low-income and racially diverse areas. Other universities have Already started We will continue along this path. When the students arrive, Support Services This is crucial to ensure they feel supported as they complete the program.
While we’ve focused primarily on Duke here, these lessons apply to all universities: At a time when race-conscious admissions and scholarship systems are under threat, it’s important for schools and programs to focus on targeted recruitment and provide supportive communities for marginalized students.
