The Bates Motel of Higher Education

For decades, serious scholars of all races have been saying that the obsession with diversity, equity, and inclusion that grips so many of our colleges has adverse consequences. Although it seems benign and helpful to insist on hiring and promoting people from certain backgrounds—the so-called marginalized groups—doing so has unintended and harmful consequences. To cite just one example, that is Thomas Sowell’s argument in his 1991 book Preferential Policies. Adverse consequences usually cause people to stop and reconsider their actions when they directly suffer those consequences. In non-profit organizations, however, the leaders rarely feel any harm from having made poor...