Most Ohio, Stark colleges don't use race in admissions. Will court's decision affect them?

Colleges and universities nationwide are scrambling to adjust their admissions policies after the U.S. Supreme Court restricted how higher education institutions use race in their college admissions, effectively ending the decades-long precedent of affirmative action policies

But the decision likely won't impact many of Ohio's colleges and universities' admissions policies. Why? They say they've found other ways to expand opportunities for diverse students.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the race-conscious admissions policies used by the University of North Carolina and Harvard University were considered unlawful, largely because the court believes a student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual and not on the basis of race.

Affirmative action in college admissions, which had been in place since 1978, allows higher education institutions to consider race as an advantage factor in college admissions, as a way to help applicants from diverse racial backgrounds who may not have had the same access to resources and educational opportunities.

Many Ohio universities don't use race in admissions

Only three of Ohio's 14 four-year public institutions said an applicant's race and ethnicity are considered in the admissions process, according to the universities' responses to the most recent Common Data Set, a standardized set of questions about topics like a school's admissions, financial aid, graduation rate and student demographics.

A survey of Stark County colleges and universities found that none of them use race as a factor when reviewing a student's application for admission.

Even for the three four-year public schools who do consider race in its admissions process — Bowling Green State University, Ohio State University and University of Cincinnati — it isn't the most important factor. Many university officials described taking a "holistic" approach to their admissions processes.

At the University of Cincinnati, race and ethnicity are given the same consideration as an applicant's extracurricular activities, standardized test scores and class rank. A student's application essay is weighted more highly in their application.

"We made a move about six years ago to a more holistic admissions process," Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management at University of Cincinnati, said. "So the process now doesn't just involve students including their academic record and their demographics, but they also include a series of essays. And those essays really give us a feel for the background of the student, what the student has faced as challenges, the personality of the student, (and) how the student is going to fit into our programs."

Over the last few years, the university also strengthened its partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, the state's second largest K-12 public school system and where more than 61% of students are Black, according to state data. The university offers scholarships and other incentives to encourage the city's students to apply. Miner said UC is interested in getting more diverse students into their application portal in the first place, rather than making race a deciding factor for admissions.

It's paid off well, Miner said. In 2017, 68.9% of UC's students were white, according to enrollment data. Last school year, 66.3% of students were white.

Ohio State weighs academic factors, such as rigor of the applicant's high school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores and essay, as "very important" and "important" in its admissions criteria. Race and ethnicity is under the "considered" category, according to the Common Data Set.

First-generation status and volunteer and work experience are also given more weight than an applicant's race.

Black and Latino students still underrepresented in enrollment

Ohio State is one of 18 state flagship universities nationwide that use race as a factor in admissions decisions, according to a recent report by The Hechinger Report. And at most of those universities, Black and Latino students are still very much underrepresented.

In fall 2022, Ohio State reported that about 26% of its Columbus campus student body was nonwhite, up from nearly 20% in 2017, according to university data. About 7.5% of Ohio State students identified as Black and about 5.6% were Hispanic last school year. By comparison, Columbus City Schools, the state's largest public K-12 district, has a student population that is about 53% Black and 15% Hispanic.

Ohio State Provost Melissa Gilliam and James Orr, vice provost for strategic enrollment management, sent an email to the campus community June 20 in advance of the Supreme Court decision.

"Right now, we expect any changes to admissions to go into effect immediately and to be forward-looking, without impacting our current students’ place at the university," they wrote. "Again, we will share more as we review the decisions — and remain committed to teaching, research, academic freedom, considerate discourse and support for each other as Buckeyes."

What about Akron and Kent State universities?

The University of Akron doesn't expect any impact to the admission process, no matter the ruling, spokesperson Cristine Boyd said in a statement. Each application is considered based on grade point average and strength of high school coursework, along with grade trends and "special talents," she said.

"In essence, we admit students who demonstrate their potential to be successful at our university and do not measure success using a racial metric in that assessment," Boyd said.

Kent State University also does not use race in admissions, but President Todd Diacon has been vocal on the topic, even mentioning it in his spring commencement address. In a statement on the university's website on Thursday, Diacon said the university has begun to assess the impact of the court’s ruling.

"One thing is clear: This Supreme Court outcome will not affect our deep commitment to access and completion for all Kent State students," he wrote.

How could race-specific and diversity initiatives be affected?

While many Ohio universities don't factor an applicant's race into admissions, they still may use race for institutional purposes and for specific programs.

At Walsh University, for instance, the Stark County private Catholic university uses race for tracking purposes and considers race for some of its initiatives such as the Thea Bowman Scholars program, which specifically seeks African American scholars.

It's unclear how race-specific programs and other university recruitment initiatives and scholarships intended to boost diversity could be affected by the Supreme Court's decision, which has caused some people to worry.

Jean Paddock, president of Aultman College, said the Supreme Court decision doesn't change its recruitment and admission practices, including its focus on recruiting students of all backgrounds.

"Providing a high-quality education for students of all backgrounds has been a top priority and long-standing tradition for Aultman College," she said. In preparing healthcare professionals to lead our community to improved health, we will continue to recruit and admit students of all races and ethnicities who wish to pursue a career in healthcare, including slots that are still open for this fall 2023’s admission class."

Sheridan Hendrix, Madeline Mitchell and Kelli Weir are education reporters at The Columbus Dispatch, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Canton Repository. Grace Clarke is a reporting intern at The Akron Beacon Journal.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

mmitchell@enquirer.com

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kelli.weir@cantonrep.com

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gclarke1@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Repository: How does the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling affect Ohio?