Following today’s Supreme Court ruling, the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine reaffirms our unwavering commitment to accessible health education, health equity, and holistic review in admissions. We will continue to let the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging guide us as we recruit and support mission-aligned students.
We understand the importance of breaking down educational access barriers and fostering a learning environment with a diverse, inclusive student body. Doing so does not simply improve the educational experience of our students, faculty, and staff by learning from each other’s rich lived experiences and perspectives, but better prepares them to serve and partner with groups and communities that have been historically marginalized and continue to face inequities and barriers to quality health care.
While we will abide by the court’s decision and further adjust where needed, we pledge to continue to consider and address systematic barriers that contribute to lasting racial disparities in education. This is a commitment the university has worked to uphold as a land-grant institution in Washington state, which banned the consideration of race in university admissions and public employment in 1998. We will continue partnering with groups and organizations in K-12 education, colleges, and universities to ensure educational readiness, ultimately leading to a vibrant and diverse workforce in Washington and beyond.
Since our college’s founding, the MD program has used the holistic admissions framework intentionally to assess applicants beyond academic metrics (e.g., GPA and MCAT scores) and to identify mission-aligned applicants passionate about serving Washington’s rural and underserved communities. Holistic review has also been intentionally added to the selection processes for our Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Speech and Hearing Sciences, and Master in Healthcare Administration and Leadership programs as well as in our GME residency programs.
By embracing holistic review, our college has fostered a diverse, inclusive community, one where students bring varied perspectives and lived experiences to the educational space and are attuned to rural, underserved, and other health care disparities. In the wake of today’s ruling, we will continue to work to advance equity and inclusion and ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed and be prepared to serve as future health care leaders.