Summer quarter is in full swing at Pierce College, and we remain unwavering in our mission to create quality educational opportunities for a diverse community of learners to thrive in an evolving world. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities, we reaffirm our commitment to Black, Indigenous, People of Color student excellence. We advance our mission through equitable strategies in the classroom, in our hiring practices, in our student support services, and in our business practices.
Pierce College has always been open access to all. The Supreme Court ruling does not change that; we are here to provide access, support student success, and transform communities through education. We work hard to eliminate barriers that prevent many students from entering and thriving in college. We strive to ensure that every student at Pierce College feels valued, respected, and inspired to achieve their goals.
Half of our students identify as students of color, and approximately 2/3 are the first in their families to attend college. We are a proud Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (based on federal definitions), and we will continue supporting students as they work hard to improve their lives through education.
We’re proud this work has been recognized across the nation. Pierce College earned Achieving the Dream (ATD)’s Leah Meyer Austin Award for transformative change and improved graduation rates, and we were also named an ATD Leader College of Distinction for achieving new, higher student outcomes and narrowing equity gaps. We are especially humbled to be named an Aspen Prize Rising Star in 2019, and a Top 25 semifinalist for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
We will continue to act in accordance with Washington’s legislative requirements to address antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We remain committed to attracting, retaining, and graduating students from our diverse communities and creating equitable outcomes so everyone can realize their possibilities.
Your experience validates the Supremes decision, let’s put woke where it belongs in the landfill!
Indeed “in the landfill” of history. By the way: who exactly wrote this that they had to hide behind the authorship of “Pierce College”? We need names not institutions. BIPOC, equity, diversity, inclusion, antiracism (actually pro-racist…yet another debasement of the English language), etc. This reeks of all the word salad that is “woke” dogma. What exactly are Pierce College’s “…equitable strategies in the classroom, in our hiring practices, in our student support services, and in our business practices.” Are you planning to continue your unconstitutional practices by merely changing their description? How about you detail that for the public! People are individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, origin or any other pigeon hole grouping that seems most important to the “woke”. Start treating students as individuals and Pierce College will become more successful across the board for all students.
Our bloated system of government can not continue to grow jobs to validate the kind of education cranked out by woke institutions.
If you look objectively at what many government agencies have become (weaponized), you will admit that this type of exclusive inclusion is a ruse and a failure.
Our nation is weaker and more divided since this chapter of advanced feminism has crept into our being.
The SCOTUS recognized the destructive unsustainable path we are on and ruled accordingly.
If Mx Pierce College chooses to ignore that ruling, there will be consequences.
Notice that in the article title the word “reaffirming” is used almost as a challenge to the Supreme Court’s ruling against “affirmative” action. How exactly does Pierce College plan to “reaffirm” racial groups when the only reaffirmation allowed by the ruling is individually based? In essence affirmative action is (was) based on race so is it entirely possible that equity, inclusion and diversity based upon racial groups is also unconstitutional? I think so! All these race based mantras will have to ditch the racial group language and start treating people as individuals. This requires more than just different language; it requires an entirely different philosophical state of mind.