Statement on Last Week’s Supreme Court Ruling

Since our founding in 1870, St. John’s University has been dedicated to making higher education accessible to all who seek it. Acknowledging the gaps that remain in post-secondary education and our world on the basis of race, ethnicity, ability, and gender, the quest for justice is central to our Catholic and Vincentian mission to serve others and build an equitable society.

It is this fundamental mission that led us in August 2022 to join in an amicus brief with Boston College, Georgetown University, the University of Notre Dame, and others to demonstrate to the Supreme Court of the United States that the consideration of race in higher education admissions and the eradication of racial injustice is central to our missions as faith-based institutions. As a university that has the level of diversity that is sought by many other institutions, we at St. John’s know first-hand the value of diversity to educational outcomes and were pleased to share those insights with the Court.

Late last week, the Court held that Harvard University’s and the University of North Carolina’s admissions systems do not comply with the principles of the equal protection clause embodied in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. While this ruling is antithetical to the arguments we offered to the Court about the use of race in admissions, the Court did rule that colleges and universities may consider in admissions decisions, “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” In fact, Justice Sonia Sotomayor acknowledged the contentions offered in the amicus brief when describing the unique nature of faith-based institutions that seek to affirm the dignity of individuals in our missions.

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. and I have begun to consider the impact of the Court’s decision on our community. While we continue to process the impact, if any, of the ruling on St. John’s, we remain committed to dismantling racism in all areas of University life and conduct. As we have for decades, we will continue to recruit diverse classes of undergraduate and graduate students who understand their role in creating a just world. The University’s Catholic identity demands the inclusion of all voices and perspectives in our common task to understand the world and how we should live in it.

Transforming lives has always been a part of the mission of St. John’s. Over time, the names and faces of our students have changed, but the founding mission endures. Embracing the call of leadership in higher education, the Vincentian founders knew that a quality higher education would provide people of all backgrounds with the knowledge and skills to improve their circumstances and the lives of others. St. John’s is an outstanding institution that others aspire to be—a place where students from all backgrounds, and particularly those from historically underrepresented groups, come to study, learn, and grow, becoming leaders in our rapidly changing society.

As the University’s Vice President of Equity and Inclusion, I look forward to our continued collaborations as we create the just world that God intended for us to share with one another.