Program Directory

Columbus Metropolitan Club - 8-30-2023 - Affirmative Action At The Crossroads

In its landmark June decision this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, ending this practice for higher-education admissions. The cases brought before the Court held that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina unfairly used race to give preference to underrepresented minority applicants to the detriment of other applicants, while ignoring race-neutral alternatives for achieving diversity goals. Simultaneously, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at private companies are also coming under fire. What's next for affirmative action and DEI in the U.S., especially for employers? With an expert panel, we unpack what the Supreme Court's recent decision means for the future of equity in the U.S.

Featuring Cynthia W. Turner. Ph.D., Assistant Dean and Chief Diversity Officer, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Margaret Finley, Director of DEI and Head of Corporate Affairs, Advanced Drainage Systems, and Erin Butcher, Of Counsel, Bricker Graydon, with host Sherrice Sledge-Thomas, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access, Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

August 30, 2023