RACE-CONSCIOUS ACADEMIC POLICY IN HIGHER-EDUCATION - THE UNIVERSITY-OF-MARYLAND BANNEKER-SCHOLARS-PROGRAM

This research was undertaken in conjunction with the efforts of the Un iversity of Maryland-College Park to respond to litigation in the care of Podberesky v. Kirwan (1993). The case challenged the constitutiona l right of the university to operate a scholarship program reserved ex clusively for high-achieving African Americans. This study offers a br oad-based assessment of the Benjamin Banneker Scholars Program. The Ba nneker Scholars Program is a key element in the university's plan for desegregation and increased student diversity The research was conduct ed in the summer and fall of 1992 using a variety of data sources: uni versity records, personal interviews, survey questionnaires, telephone interviews, focus group interviews, and life histories. We found that the Banneker scholarship program continues to be necessary, as a spec ific remedy, to eliminate the effects of past, present, and cumulative discrimination against African Americans.