Class-based Affirmative Action by Creaming - A Contradiction?
Increasing Socioeconomic Diversity at Elite Postsecondary Institutions in the US

Tuesday, April 13, 5:00pm
Kimmel Center for University Life
60 Washington Square South, Room 914
New York University

Sigal Alon
Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Tel Aviv University 

Despite the massive expansion of postsecondary systems in recent years and the greater access to higher education it made possible, in most developed countries selective institutions remain bastions of privilege. In the U.S., the expectation that these institutions not only strive for excellence but also promote equity and diversity has encouraged institutional practices that give qualified minority applicants an edge in the admissions process.  Yet, despite the success of such plans in diversifying the student body there is a growing opposition to the preferential treatment of racial and ethnic minorities. Class-based affirmative action, though understudied in the U.S., has broader political support and has been advanced as an important goal for elite higher education.

Sigal Alon, senior lecturer in sociology at Israel's Tel Aviv University, will explore the need for, feasibility of, and designs for strategies to enhance socioeconomic diversity at selective institutions through class-based affirmative affirmative action.  Drawing on two years of empirical research on class-based affirmative action in Israeli flagship universities, as well as several years of research on class-based affirmative action, race-based affirmative action and the Texas 10% Plan in the U.S., Dr. Alon will discuss the viability of institutional policies and practices that target the truly disadvantaged.

View Sigal Alon's Powerpoint Presentation