Shape of the River

William G. Bowen (1933-2016) was president emeritus of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Princeton University and founding chairman of ITHAKA.. His many books included The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions (with Derek Bok) (Princeton). Derek Bok is the 300th Anniversary University Research Professor at Harvard University, where he served as president from 1971 to 1991, and again as interim president from 2006 to 2007.

Winner of the 2001 Grawemeyer Award in Education Winner of the 1999 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Government and Political Science, Association of American Publishers "The most ambitious and authoritative study to date of the effects of affirmative action in higher education, ... a serious (though accessible) work of research, ... an important corrective to conservative propaganda masquerading as social science."--Ellis Cose, Newsweek "A compelling new book ... demonstrates why affirmative action programs can be good for the country... The authors prove with facts, not anecdotes, that affirmative action works... With the presidential commission having fallen flat in trying to advance the national discussion on race, it may be the smaller-scale efforts, like the Bowen and Bok book, that better lay the groundwork for long-term change."--Los Angeles Times "No study of this magnitude has been attempted before. Its findings provide a strong rationale for opposing current efforts to demolish race-sensitive policies in colleges across the country... The evidence collected flatly refutes many of the misimpressions of affirmative-action opponents."--The New York Times "The Shape of the River is the most comprehensive study ever done of affirmative action in higher education, and it demands the attention of anyone who cares about American universities."--David Gergen, U.S. News and World Report "The Shape of the River ... offers much more comprehensive statistics and much more sophisticated analysis than has been available before. Impressionistic and anecdotal evidence will no longer suffice: any respectable discussion of the consequences of affirmative action in universities must now either acknowledge its findings or challenge them, and any challenge must match the standards of breadth and statistical professionalism that Bowen, Bok, and their colleagues have achieved."--Ronald Dworkin, New York Review of Books "What is good for business in this case is good for society too--good for us all. This report may, at last, make that fact evident even to the most obtuse."--Garry Wills, The Plain Dealer "On the strength of [the authors'] credentials the reader can expect much, and much is delivered... The Shape of the River is a monumental achievement. Its foundation is so solidly anchored to a bedrock of data that it will be relied upon as a navigational beacon for years to come."--Robert E. Thatch, Science

• List of FiguresList of TablesPrefaceCh. 1Historical Context1Ch. 2The Admissions Process and "Race-Neutrality"15Ch. 3Academic Outcomes53Ch. 4Advanced Study: Graduate and Professional Degrees91Ch. 5Employment, Earnings, and Job Satisfaction118Ch. 6Civic Participation and Satisfaction with Life155Ch. 7Looking Back: Views of College193Ch. 8Diversity: Perceptions and Realities218Ch. 9Informing the Debate256Ch. 10Summing Up275App. AThe College and Beyond Database291App. B. Notes on Methodology336App. CEarnings in Relation to Advanced Degrees, Sector of Employment, and Occupation362App. D. Additional Tables375References451Index461