Excellence Isn’t Colorblind or Gender Neutral, In Either Direction, Nor Should It Be
Preview:
As debate rages on about the forced resignation of Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay, a familiar trope has surfaced yet again. As if to echo Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision in the Harvard affirmative action case[1], many have asserted that Gay got her job because of race and gender, contrasting that with a “pure” merit-based selection of leaders. Aside from the insulting nature of this assumption, there is a stark irony to be considered here — white men have similarly gotten their positions because of race and gender for centuries, originally by law and ultimately by tradition, precedent, and, one might add, the in-group tendency to choose familiar faces (DiTomaso, 2015).[2] If, after all, our norms were to choose leaders based on some (more fictional than real) colorblind or gender-neutral metric, would the statistics on CEOs, presidents, and other leaders look as one-sided as they do today?
Originally published: January 16, 2024
Author: Nancy Cantor
Position: Chancellor
Institution: Rutgers University of Newark
Published by: Diverse Issues in Higher Education