The Tanner Lectures with James Forman Jr.: University Admissions and the American Dream: Who Gets In—and Why It Matters | Lecture One

John Knowles Paine Concert Hall
3 Oxford St.
Cambridge
Wed., Apr. 15, 2026, 4 – 5:30 p.m.



Decisions by the United States Supreme Court and the Trump administration have compelled universities to revise their admissions policies. These lectures ask whether higher education can still function as an engine of social mobility in today’s political and legal climate—and, if so, what kinds of admissions policies might help fulfill that promise.

The first lecture situates American universities within the longer historical arc of meritocracy and exclusion, tracing how they have served–for good and for ill–as gatekeepers to the American Dream.

Gazette Classification: Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
Organization/Sponsor: Mahindra Humanities Center
Speaker(s): Speaker: James Forman Jr.,Yale University, Respondent: Guy-Uriel Charles, Harvard Law School
Cost: Free and open to the public; no registration required.
Contact Info: [email protected]
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: mahindrahumanities.harvard.edu…