December 3, 2015

Public Briefing

Fisher v. University of Texas, Austin:
How the Science on Diversity
and Affirmative Action Matters

*Monday, December 7, 2015*
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
(Boxed lunch available beginning at noon.
Program begins promptly at 12:30 p.m.)

National Press Club
Washington, D.C.

Two days before the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the reconsideration of Fisher v. University of Texas, Austin, a panel of experts will discuss the scientific evidence on the use of race as a factor in university admissions policies, the educational benefits of student diversity, and the consequences of Fisher for higher education and the STEM workforce.

This event is organized by the
American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Click here to register to attend the briefing in person.
Click here to register to attend via LIVESTREAM.

Speakers will include:

Gary Orfield, Distinguished Research Professor of Education, Law, Political Science and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Co-director of the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA
Liliana M. Garces, Assistant Professor in the Higher Education Program and a Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University
Angelo N. Ancheta, Counsel of Record for the AERA et al amicus brief
Shirley M. Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Felice J. Levine, AERA Executive Director (Moderator)

Audience Q&A will follow speaker presentations.

Read the Brief of 823 Social Scientists as Amici Curiae submitted to the court by the Civil Rights Project here.
Interested readers can also examine the brief by the AERA and other national scholarly associations on the compelling educational advantages of college diversity. http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/fisher-v-university-of-texas-at-austin-2/

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on December 9, 2015, and will issue its decision before the next academic year.

About the Civil Rights Project
Founded in 1996 by former Harvard professors Gary Orfield and Christopher Edley Jr., the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP) is now co-directed by Orfield and Patricia Gándara, professors at UCLA, and housed in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. The CRP’s mission is to create a new generation of research in social science and law on the critical issues of civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It has commissioned more than 500 studies, published more than 16 books and issued numerous reports from authors at universities and research centers across the country. The Supreme Court, in its 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decision, cited the Civil Rights Project's research.

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