U.S. Dept. of Education "Dear Colleague" Letter

Members of the Rutgers Community:

In a continued effort to keep you informed of federal actions bearing on Rutgers, I am writing about the “Dear Colleague” letter issued on February 14 by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, indicating that the Department will apply the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard broadly beyond the admissions process. While additional legal guidance is expected, the Department has indicated that it will begin to assess compliance with the stated guidelines within 14 days.

Rutgers considers diversity to be necessary to foster the cultural competencies, resilience, and openness to dialogue that promote the intellectual growth and intergroup understanding that are essential for success in the classroom, the university community, and society at large. As we strive to foster a community where faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds are able to thrive, we will review the Dear Colleague letter to ensure the university’s policies and practices continue to be consistent both with the law and with our institutional values.

Rutgers continues to monitor the impact and legal implications of all the federal executive actions that may affect our university community. We will also continue to work closely with our peer institutions in the Association of American Universities, the Big Ten, and other affiliated organizations, as well as with our elected representatives at the state and federal levels, to advocate for governmental policies that best enable higher education to perform its vital mission of education, research, and service to the common good. This mission has served our students and the nation extraordinarily well and has contributed to American higher education’s reputation as the finest in the world.

Please be assured of our continued commitment to communicating with you about this and other federal actions as we move forward. As a reminder, our FAQ page, Navigating New Federal Government Actions and Requirements, is available here and continues to be updated as circumstances evolve.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Holloway
President and University Professor