I agree with Roger that it took a lot of guts for Peter Schmidt to say that the justification overwhelmingly given for racial preferences in university admissions — that it somehow leads to better education — is not only false, but that those who rely on it know it to be false.

Most in higher ed believe they’re making a contribution to “social justice” when they pass over academically sharp white and Asian students so they can get “critical masses” of preferred minority groups. They really aren’t, but “affirmative action” is second in importance only to raising money to nearly all college presidents these days.

Schmidt isn’t actually an opponent of affirmative action, though. His book Color and Money, which I reviewed here, is strongly in favor of using admission preferences to achieve “economic diversity.” I think that is just as much a fool’s errand as is the mania for racial diversity.

It will be fascinating to read the attacks on Schmidt that will come from the people and organizations heavily invested in the notion that diversity leads to better education.