To all members of the Northeastern community,

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court released decisions on two cases that will dramatically alter the use of race as a factor in college admissions. While our legal and enrollment experts review the many pages that make up these landmark decisions, I would like to reaffirm some of our university’s core values—principles that will endure and guide us irrespective of the court’s rulings.

Let me be clear: People from every possible background, orientation and ideology are welcome members of the Northeastern community. We embrace diversity, in all its forms, because it makes Northeastern stronger as an institution of teaching and learning. We will remain steadfast in our commitment to building a globally diverse community—and we will continue working to foster a genuine sense of belonging on all of our campuses. These values are embodied by all members of the Northeastern community. They are brought to life across our global university system, which spans different nations and legal jurisdictions.

It is important to remember that Northeastern students—especially our undergraduates—learn from every dimension of college life. They learn from our world-class faculty, and through life-changing experiential opportunities. And, importantly, students learn powerful lessons from one another. In countless academic, extracurricular, and social settings, our students benefit from the rich tapestries and contours of our global community. This is an essential—not an optional—element of our mission to prepare them for the complex and varied world they will lead after graduation.

As always, our core values will be our guiding star as we navigate this new landscape. Our charge as a university will be to ensure—within the bounds of the law—a richly diverse and powerful learning environment for all.

This is an obligation we owe to our students—and to society as a whole.

Sincerely,

Joseph E. Aoun
President