Access and Diversity Collaborative

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The Access and Diversity Collaborative (ADC) is a cross-disciplinary group of education professionals and organizations dedicated to upholding the principles of equitable access to higher education and promoting diversity on campus.

Our Founding

In 2004, following the aftermath of Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger, College Board and our partner, EducationCounsel LLC, founded the Access and Diversity Collaborative. In these two cases, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rights of universities to consider the limited use of race in admission decisions to build a diverse student body.

Our Mission

As we serve higher education institutions, organizations, and students across the country, our mission is to be:

  • A voice of national advocacy for comprehensive, evidence-based, and legally sound access and diversity policies.
  • A resource for sophisticated and pragmatic policy and practice guidance and actionable research to support institutional, mission-based goals, with a focus on the promotion and expansion of educational pathways and opportunities for historically underrepresented populations.
  • A group where thought leaders can work collaboratively on policy and practice development, with a focus on:
    • Supporting the effective use of data and research connected to real-world policy and practice issues.
    • Identifying and developing replicable best practices that reflect sound policy and are legally sustainable.
    • Finding common ground to develop a principled and pragmatic policy and practice agenda.

Our Leadership

Arthur L. "Art" Coleman
Managing partner and co-founder, EducationCounsel LLC

Jamie Lewis Keith
Partner, EducationCounsel LLC

Crystal E. Newby
Senior director, Strategic Admission, Access, and Diversity Initiatives, The College Board

Connie Betterton
Vice President, Higher Ed Access and Strategy, The College Board

Our Sponsors

Our sponsors are integral to the work we do. They generously donate their time and expertise to advance the access and diversity goals of higher education. 
We’re proud to count among our sponsors representatives from College Board member institutions and other higher education organizations as well as individuals with a deep understanding of the legal issues involved.

Institutional Sponsors

  • Amherst College
  • Austin College
  • Barnard College
  • Bethune-Cookman University
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • Carleton College
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Colgate University
  • Colorado College
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Dartmouth College
  • Davidson College
  • Drexel University
  • Emerson College
  • Florida International University
  • Florida State University
  • Guilford College
  • Hamilton College
  • Indiana University
  • James Madison University
  • Kenyon College
  • Miami University of Ohio
  • Morgan State University
  • Mount Holyoke College
  • Muhlenberg College
  • New York University
  • North Carolina A&T State University
  • Northeastern University
  • Northwestern University
  • Ohio University
  • Ohio State University
  • Penn State University
  • Pomona College
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University
  • Rice University
  • Rollins College
  • Rowan University
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • Skidmore College
  • Smith College
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Stanford University
  • Swarthmore College
  • Syracuse University
  • Texas A&M University
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of Arizona
  • University of California-Irvine
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of California Office of the President
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Denver
  • University of Florida
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Maryland–College Park
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
  • University of the Pacific
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Richmond
  • University of Rochester
  • University of San Francisco
  • University of Southern California
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • University of Tulsa
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Washington
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Vassar College
  • Virginia Tech
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Wayne State University
  • Wellesley College
  • Wesleyan University

Organizational Sponsors

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)
  • American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)
  • American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
  • Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
  • Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)
  • Center for Institutional & Social Change (CISC)
  • Coalition for College
  • Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
  • Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
  • National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
  • National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
  • National School Boards Association (NSBA)
  • USC Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP)

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