As the umbrella organization for higher education, the American Council on Education is often at the center of the major issues facing colleges and universities, Dr. Robert Atwell, who has announced his retirement as president, and Dr. Reginald Wilson, senior scholar with ACE, have been two of the leading proponents in the country for affirmative action.
In this interview, they discuss the challenges facing higher education access for students of color.
What do you consider to be the most commonly hold misconception about what ACE can do about affirmative action in American higher education?
ATWELL: We are based on persuasion, moral persuasion. But we don’t have authority over anybody. Do we have influence? Yes, I think we do. So we have seen our role to be one of attempting to lead by persuasion, but not anything else. And I think that we’ve done that on this issue with some success. We also play a role of trying to identify good practices and trying to frame the arguments about affirmative action or about diversity.
Then to say that ACE could do more is an unfair statement?
ATWELL: I think we could always do more. I wouldn’t pretend to say that we’ve done all that we can do, And I understand those who say that we should be even more aggressive than we’ve been. It does have to be remembered that we are a membership organization of college and university presidents who will pay us only so long as they think we represent their interests. They will abide a certain amount of leadership from us, but if we get too far out in front of them on any given issue and turn around and look back and there’s nobody there, that’s a problem.
WILSON: And we have to recognize that ACE has been in the forefront of this issue for a number of years. So, yes, we can do more. But ACE has been right out in front.
