Morehouse College, the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men, will allow individuals who self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, to be considered for admission.
According to a press release from the institution, the new Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy will apply to all students who enroll in Morehouse College by the Fall 2020 semester and was developed after 15 months of input from faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The groundbreaking plan was led by a task force created by the President of Morehouse College, Dr. David A. Thomas.
The college still will not consider women for admission or those who were assigned male gender at birth but now identified as women. Other details of the new admissions changes include:
- The policy also applies to students who transition at Morehouse and a student who transitions from a man to a woman will no longer be eligible to matriculate at the college.
- Morehouse will continue to use masculine pronouns, the language of brotherhood, and other gendered language that reflects its mission as an institution designed to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service,” according to the outlines of the policy.
- Exemptions to the policy will be determined by a three-person committee whose decisions can only be reversed by the university president.
- Students enrolled at Morehouse before the Fall 2020 semester are not affected by the college.
“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,” said Terrance Dixon, Morehouse’s Vice President for Enrollment Management. “The ratification of this policy affirms the College’s commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.”
The 152-year-old HBCU, located in Atlanta, enrolls approximately 2,200 students and is the nation’s top producer of black men who go on to receive doctorates, according to school officials. Prominent alumni include activist Martin Luther King Jr., actor Samuel L. Jackson, filmmaker Spike Lee, and former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.