Assessing the Damage to Black Higher Education From Right-Wing Efforts to Ban Minority Scholarship Programs

Ohio State University is one of more than 200 colleges and universities that have received letters from the Center for Equal Opportunity threatening litigation unless the university opened up to students of all races programs that had been reserved for blacks or other minorities.

In response, Ohio State adjusted and renamed its Minority Scholars Program so that scholarship money would be available to students of all races. The new Morrill Scholars Program is open to applicants of all races, with students from Appalachia or who are the first generation in their families to attend college given preference over other applicants.

As a result of the change, this year 148 of the 705 recipients of scholarships are white. Previously all money in the program went to minority students.