In June of last year, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the ability for colleges and universities to consider race in their admissions following its ruling on affirmative action. Since the verdict came down, it's been open to interpretation by state leaders in many cases.
Beyond admissions, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sent a letter to universities stating the ruling also applied to race-based scholarships, causing some schools to pause and review some of their scholarships.
More than a year later, the ruling has impacted Cincinnati area colleges differently. At the start of the fall semester, the University of Cincinnati not only boasted the largest student enrollment in its history, it also had its most racially diverse, with students of color representing 28% of the student body.
UC's Vice Provost for Enrollment Jack Miner says the university hasn't explicitly considered race in its admissions process in several years. Instead, UC utilizes a "holistic review" which factors in a student's academic record, as well as their life experiences and likelihood to succeed at the university. Miner says UC's increasingly diverse population is a result of the university's effort to enroll more students from the city of Cincinnati and underserved communities, while also accepting other applicants.
"It wasn't a case of trying to say, 'We have two students that we think are both qualified and we're going to choose one student over another,' " Miner told WVXU. "We want to educate as many people from this region as possible. And if two students come to us that are both qualified, we want you both."
Black students make up nearly 12% of all students across UC's campuses, with 4,447 currently enrolled. The number of Latino students has also increased, with 2,403 enrolled in 2024, a drastic change compared to two decades ago, when UC only had 256 Latino students in total.
Miner says this change has created a stronger culture at UC where students can share their different experiences and perspectives. It also has allowed minority students to build more robust communities to create a welcoming environment for a wider array of students.
On top of student groups and organizations, the University of Cincinnati has also maintained its resources for minority students, like the Office of Equity & Inclusion, and the Office of Ethnic Programs & Services, which runs programs like the Darwin T. Turner Scholars, a scholarship program that covers in-state tuition and student fees for students from underrepresented communities.
The program was originally known as the Minority Scholars Program, and Miner says years ago, the program was almost exclusively for Black students. That changed several years ago, and today the university says the Darwin T. Scholars Program is not a race-based scholarship program and all racial and ethnic identities are encouraged to apply.
'I don't see 'white' anything' Ky. lawmaker says
While UC still has offices for ethnic programs and DEI, the same can't be said for every university in the Tri-State.
A few weeks ago, Northern Kentucky University announced it was dissolving its Office of Inclusive Excellence and the university's chief diversity officer would be stepping down. The decision came soon after NKU's President Cady Short-Thompson attended a joint committee meeting where Kentucky lawmakers questioned university presidents about their DEI programs and offices.
Short-Thompson told the committee the Office of Inclusive Excellence's goal was to create a culture of belonging and improve retention rates for all students. She said as the university has become more racially diverse, its academic rankings and ratings have also improved.
Still, some Kentucky lawmakers objected to NKU's programs stating they were unfair to white students.
"I see Black graduate celebrations, I see Black student welcomes, I see Black achiever, I see African American alumni that come and participate, which is great. I see Black student unions. I don't see 'white' anything," Republican State Representative Emily Callaway told Short-Thompson. "My son, what would he relate to on your campus? And how is this inclusive?"
Short-Thompson responded by saying that 85% of NKU students are white and all students are welcome to participate in the university's 223 student groups regardless of their identity.
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NKU's president says despite the elimination of the Inclusive Excellence office, the school is still committed to providing services to students. Its Center for Student Inclusiveness — which gives students access to scholarships and promotes intercultural understanding through its departments serving Black, Latino, and LGBTQA+ students — is still operating.
"Opportunities that we currently have at the university that are student-facing have not changed," Short-Thompson told WVXU.
Over in Cincinnati, Jack Miner says UC isn't currently facing the same political pressure as schools in other states, so there are no plans to eliminate its current programs.
While that may be the case now, Senate Bill 83, a controversial higher education bill in the Ohio state legislature that would ban DEI efforts and require "intellectual diversity" on college campuses could pass later this year. The bill has been a looming threat for some college faculty and students for over a year and could soon become law.
