Duke University has discontinued the Reginaldo Howard Scholars program, which provided full-ride merit scholarships to a select group of African ancestry students in each entering class. The Reginaldo Howard Leadership Program, open to all students and non-competitive, will replace the previous program, according to a university official. The Duke Chronicle, a student publication, was the first to announce the news.
Current scholars will not lose funds, but no new scholarships will be issued.
The scholarship and leadership programs remember Reginaldo “Reggie” Howard, Duke’s first Black student body president, who died in an automobile accident in his sophomore year, shortly after being elected.
“This transition will continue to offer a variety of options for financial assistance to our students while honoring Mr. Howard’s legacy,” said Frank Tramble, vice president for communications, marketing and public relations, in an email to Inside Higher Ed. “Our commitment to diversity remains strong, including our support of HCBU graduates pursuing graduate programs at Duke and our full tuition grants for undergraduate students from North and South Carolina whose families earn less than $150,000 as well as offer various forms of assistance offered to students from North and South Carolina whose families earn below $65,000.”
The move comes nearly 10 months after the Supreme Court barred the use of affirmative action in admissions decisions, leading to arguments at many schools over how widely to interpret that rule.
