With Affirmative Action policies being challenged at the federal level, Iowa State has chosen to review its race-based scholarship policies.

University President Martin Jischke said recent actions across the nation on race-based scholarships show that it’s a time of change. Jischke said the university is reviewing these developments to determine how they affect institutions such as ISU.

“I can tell you that Iowa State has no race-based quotas or set-asides in hiring, purchasing or admissions,” he said. “Some of our scholarships do have race-based criteria and this is an area of current debate. We are reviewing our programs and will modify them if developments in the law demand changes.”

Jischke said the importance of the scholarships is that they bring minority students to ISU.

“I know they have been helpful,” Jischke said. “Students have been able to attend [ISU] because of these scholarships.”

Jischke said ISU is supported by taxpayers, and the university should be aggressive in ensuring that everyone who can benefit from its programs is given that opportunity.

“Affirmative Action has been an important tool in making higher education accessible to all members of our society,” Jischke added. “And while the tools we use to achieve our goal may evolve, the challenges of inclusiveness and nondiscrimination remain here at Iowa State.”

Elizabeth Hoffman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said she doesn’t feel the issue is Affirmative Action. It’s the diversity of the people who are in different fields here at ISU that makes the university significant, she said.