Overview
Explains role of affirmative action, presents the debate over these programs, and clarifies guidelines within the current law.
Synopsis
Explains role of affirmative action, presents the debate over these programs, and clarifies guidelines within the current law.
Library Journal
Laird, who served as director of undergraduate admissions at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1994 to 1999, is considered by many an authority in the field of creating diversity in academic admissions. This work covers the history of the affirmative action (AA) debate over the past 40 years, although it includes a perhaps dismissive approach toward non-politically correct alternatives proposed by AA critics such as Ward Connerly (Creating Equal: My Fight Against Race Preferences) and Dinesh D'Souza (Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus). Laird's advocacy of traditional approaches, though, is effectively presented and gives proponents a multitude of examples with which to counter critics. He concludes with suggestions for practical AA policies that both adhere to legal guidelines and consider the diversity of current public opinion. This book has received endorsements from numerous deans, including Nicholas Lemann (Graduate Sch. of Journalism, Columbia Univ.), who called it "one of the best defenses of affirmative action in university admissions that anyone has ever written." The title may be more appreciated by practicing admissions officers, but general readers could benefit from Laird's historical discussion. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.-Ari Sigal, Catawba Valley Community Coll. Lib., Hickory, NC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.