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In the United States, leading colleges and universities, public and private, realize that accepting and embracing diversity is a good thing, and a thing to be vigorously pursued regardless of legal mandate.Let me be clear that I firmly support affirmative action; I benefited directly from affirmative action as a younger person (I’m fast approaching middle age now) and believe it’s absolutely appropriate and necessary in society, and I completely oppose and reject any and all efforts to undermine it or end it.I do believe that if society, and the educational profession, concentrate on making sure all students, regardless of ethnic, racial and/or economic background are academically “qualified” (at the minimum level to be unconditionally accepted for admission to universities), that is one of the best ways to silence the critics, and it’s a good goal to have anyway.If an African-American student, NOT an athlete, from an inner-city school obtains a 4.0 GPA average and scores highly on the SAT, and he does NOT have at least 4 or 5 schools that he has the luxury of rejecting, I can guarantee you something’s a little fishy about the admissions process. Schools should be breaking down his door trying to get him to attend (certainly with the same fervor as they do when recruiting talented athletes).Similarly, some of these non-minority students who bring lawsuits attacking affirmative action, and have similar, and even lower, academic credentials should also have several “backup” options for their college education and instead of feeding right-wing and arguably racist attacks on affirmative action with these legal challenges, instead simply choose an alternate institution they can be perfectly happy with, in the event they can’t get in to their “dream school.”A student can obtain a quality education, and be well prepared for entry-level professional employment, with a degree from a public land-grant university, even if it does not have the “reputation” of our elite private schools such as Harvard, Stanford or Yale. A student in California can get a perfectly fine education from San Diego State or UC Riverside, just as much as they can get one from UC Berkeley or UCLA. A student in Texas can get just as good an education from UTEP or UTSA as they can from UT-Austin.And in the long run, an employer seeking an entry-level team member (or beyond) DOES NOT CARE (or should not care) about what school you attended. Your ability to perform the work, and your ability to be a good employee, are the important things. Trust me on this. In a 25+ year employment career, no one cared about what school I attended. NO ONE. And I have been fortunate to work in some excellent organizations over the years.And in an environment nowadays, where more and more young people are choosing to take direct responsibility for their careers and establishing startups, traditional employment is becoming even less critical for the success of young people today.This all being said, our colleges and universities know full well that diversity among the student body (and faculty) is absolutely a GOOD thing that needs to be fostered and encouraged as a matter of institutional policy. And they are perfectly willing to “double down” on the concept, even if it means appearing defiant to those who would oppose their efforts.Take a look at how a cross-section of our nation’s colleges and universities view the subject.From Georgia Tech:“We realize that, in order to achieve our vision for Georgia Tech as a leader in influencing the major technological, social, and policy decisions in the twenty-first century, we must recruit and retain faculty, staff, and students from a wide array of backgrounds, perspectives, interests, and talents. In doing so, we will create a community that exemplifies the best in all of us---our intellectual pursuits, our diversity of thought, and our personal integrity. Our mission to achieve inclusive excellence means unleashing the full potential of Tech's human capacity to create a better, sustainable future for us all.”Institute Commitment to Diversity, Equity and InclusionFrom the University of California system:“The University of California was founded with the purpose of making higher education available to all California citizens — and fulfilling that purpose requires that we cultivate a community reflective of the richness and diversity of the state. Everyone in the university community has the right to work and study in an inclusive environment, one that respects the diversity of all its members. Moreover, the academic excellence of UC is fed by a plurality of ideas and perspectives.”Home | UC DiversityFrom Stanford:“Stanford's undergraduates come from all 50 states and 63 countries, but diversity at Stanford means more than geographic, racial or ethnic differences. The Stanford community embraces a broad range of socioeconomic, religious, cultural and educational backgrounds. We believe that the best education can develop only in a vibrant, diverse community that actively affirms both the differences among its members and their numerous points of connection…Students are encouraged to take risks, to think creatively, to ask questions of each other and to counter ignorance with scholarship…The Stanford community values a wide range of opinions, cultures, communities, perspectives and experiences, all of which challenge a student's own beliefs, intellectual passions, opinions and understanding of the world. Our diverse setting at Stanford enables students to investigate and engage in current issues and deeper societal questions.”Diversity at StanfordFrom Notre Dame:“…We affirm the transcendent dignity and worth of every human person, from conception to natural death, regardless of race, nationality or ethnic group, religious tradition, gender, socioeconomic class, immigration status, sexual orientation, or anything else…Human beings are inescapably social, and the flourishing of each individual is possible only in a social context in which we each have responsibilities to others and others have reciprocal responsibilities to us. Together, we strive to realize the common good — that which enables any sort of community and its members to flourish individually and collectively…We are called to live in solidarity with all people, which arises from recognizing that the well- being of each person is a concern for us all. We are all, in one way or another, our sister’s and brother’s keeper. Solidarity demands that we strive to overcome fragmentation and separation to see the deeper unity we share with all people.”Together at Notre Dame // Diversity and Inclusion // University of Notre DameWhat we can gather from thisThe American Heritage Dictionary defines “university” as this:“An institution for higher learning with teaching and research facilities typically including a graduate school and professional schools that award master's degrees and doctorates and an undergraduate division that awards bachelor's degrees.”The American Heritage Dictionary entry: universityIt is generally accepted that in professional life, a bachelor’s degree from a university is a minimum prerequisite for employment in many industries and fields, especially for the higher-paying professional positions.**(NOTE: It is my opinion that young people need to also be advised of their options in the skilled trades and other relatively high-paying professions which do not require a college degree, which would involve a completely different pathway for learning, apprenticeship and employment, but that’s something for another Quora question.)**It is generally accepted that ethnic and racial minorities have been, throughout the history of the United States, largely excluded from participation in mainstream professional life; such life was reserved exclusively for the White population. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s onward sought to challenge, confront and correct this situation. It is a subject of debate as to whether or not ethnic and racial minorities have “won” the battle for acceptance in mainstream professional life. Dramatic strides have been made, but it can be argued that some members of White society, even now in the 21st century, still have serious issues with ethnic/racial minorities living and working side-by-side amongst them.As the above-mentioned statements from some of America’s leading academic institutions show us, when universities accept that access to their curriculum is something that should rightfully be extended to anyone who is qualified for it, regardless of race or ethnicity, the general belief is that the institution benefits, the student benefits, and ultimately, society benefits. It serves no one to unfairly exclude or deny anyone, for any reason, the right to pursue their education (and the pursuit of education is indeed a fundamental human right).To directly answer the question: if affirmative action ended tomorrow as a legally approved practice, my guess is that our nation’s colleges and universities would still try to find whatever ways were legally available to them to ensure that 1) no student would be denied admission based only on race or ethnicity and that 2) their student bodies would always be a reflection of the diversity of society as a whole.The challenge: how to provide access to the greatest number of qualified students regardless of race, ethnicity, income level, or any other factor?My ideas:Increase the capacity of the college/university system. This will reduce the factor of “not enough spaces” and unnecessary competition for admission among otherwise equally qualified students.Open more physical campuses.Increase alternative curriculum delivery options, such as online classes. More and more major research universities are offering online degree programs. The 50 Best Online Colleges & Universities in 2018 | BestColleges.comMore partnerships with community colleges to get more associate’s level students enrolled in universities as junior-year students.Community colleges should be promoted as the “first option” for high school students who want to attend a university, but 1) need to improve their grades to meet admissions requirements and/or 2) must consider cost of attendance as a major overall concern.Give more community colleges the option to offer bachelor’s programs in certain fields.Address financial barriers to attendance.Create a “single-payer” system: full and complete government funding of (at least) public universities, including full tuition, fees, room and board for all admitted students. The problem of student loan debt would be completely eliminated for all incoming students.Address academic barriers to qualification for admission. (Many institutions are already doing some or all of these.)Universities should partner with school districts, especially those serving underrepresented minority and/or low-income populations. The goal should be to make sure that as many students as possible from these backgrounds and schools meet and/or exceed the minimum academic requirements for unconditional admission to the university upon application.Universities need to “adopt-a-school” in low-income neighborhoods. Have tutoring and other academic programs in these schools to supplement the regular curriculum. This would include having professors come to the school and help teach a section on math, English, science, etc., and also having “study sessions” where professors and/or university students/grad students do “community service” time and help the younger students with homework assignments.Universities need to evaluate and approve the overall K-12 curriculum of the school district to make sure it’s compliant with university admission requirements.Have summer programs where students spend time on the university campus and take an academic course. This will help the students become accustomed to the academic and social manner of the campus environment.Take kids, even in the elementary grades, to an NCAA sporting event on campus. Make them “fans” of the school at an early age, which will help motivate them to be successful as college students, and to even regard themselves in their minds as potential college students.Universities can assign interested students a mentor/advisor as early as the sixth grade, to develop an action plan for admission to that (or any) university, and remain involved with the student through middle school and high school.Some universities are (in some cases under the auspices of their schools of education) establishing charter schools, taking direct responsibility for K-12 instruction of students. Many of these university-run charter schools specifically seek students from low-income ethnic minority neighborhoods.Center for Educational Partnerships UC Berkeley charter schoolTeaching to the Spirit of Every Child UT Austin charter schoolUChicago Charter School