On Monday, Chamber of Progress joined nearly 70 major U.S. corporations, including more than a dozen leading tech companies, in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of race-conscious admissions programs being challenged at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The brief argues that a diverse pipeline of graduates in STEM fields is essential to the success of science and tech companies.

Read the full amicus brief here.

“More classroom diversity means more workforce diversity, and more workforce diversity means a stronger economy,” said Chamber of Progress Adam Kovacevich. “When tech companies are more diverse, they serve their customers better and make better decisions – and colleges’ admission policies absolutely play a critical role in strengthening companies’ diversity.”

The brief cites strong evidence that university students who study and interact with diverse peers, and particularly with racially and ethnically diverse peers, exhibit enhanced cognitive development necessary for a wide range of skills highly valued in today’s economy. The brief also notes that businesses must interact with diverse clients and customers, making exposure to all dimensions of diversity – including race, ethnicity, religion, and politics – valuable to employers. 

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.