Dean Jenkins Joins Big Ten Law Deans in Joint Statement in Affirmation of Support of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Law School and Higher Education
Dean Garry Jenkins joined fourteen other Big Ten law deans in a joint statement published on the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law website to affirm Big 10 law schools' shared values and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion regardless of the outcome of the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College. The deans wrote, "We are deans of Big Ten law schools, joining together to affirm our commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through legally permissible means, regardless of the outcome of the cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. These are core values of our law schools and the universities of which we are part. If we are to prepare people to be effective lawyers and future leaders, it is essential to create a learning environment that welcomes people who embody a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences."
The statement cites the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and American Bar Association (ABA) policies that "recognize the centrality of diversity, equity, and inclusion to legal education and the legal profession. For example, AALS Bylaw Section 6-2 requires that: 'A member school shall seek to have a faculty, staff, and student body which are diverse with respect to race, color, and sex.' This reflects the judgment of member law schools, including ours, that it is essential both to provide access to historically underrepresented communities and to create a learning environment that 'incorporates the different perspectives necessary to a more comprehensive understanding of the law and its impact on society.'"
The deans conclude by saying, "We commit to advancing our core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion through whatever practices and policies remain legally available to our law schools."
