Harvard Professor Anthony Jack to Present on Issues of Inequality on College Campuses

Anthony Jack, sociologist and assistant professor of education at Harvard University, will present “The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students,” on Thursday, March 25 at 11:15 a.m. via Zoom.

Registration is required.

“It’s one thing to graduate with a degree from an elite institution, and another thing to graduate with the social capital to activate that degree,” Jack explains. In his acclaimed talk, Jack describes how rather than close the wealth gap, campus culture at elite schools further alienate poor students by making them feel like they don’t belong. To challenge these deeply ingrained social, cultural and economic disparities on campus, we must first begin to question what we take for granted. Jack reveals how organizations—from administrators and association organizers, to educators and student activists—can ask the right questions and bridge the gap.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Anthony Jack to campus,” says Nefertiti Walker, interim vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. “The issue of supporting and creating a sense of belonging for students, particularly those who identify as low-income is important. Therefore, we look forward to understanding ways we can remove barriers to academic success, and create strategies for equitable participation in our campus community.”

Jack—once a low-income, first-generation college student at Amherst College himself—has had his research cited by The New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, The National Review, The Washington Post, American RadioWorks, WBUR and MPR. His book “The Privileged Poor,” was named the 2018 recipient of the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize by Harvard University Press.