The National Association for College Admission Counseling has announced its Commission on Redesigning College Admission and Financial Aid Through a Racial Equity Lens, and EducationCounsel's Art Coleman is among the higher education, policy, and civil rights leaders and researchers appointed to its panel. The need for the commission became clear as leaders in education saw the issues of inequality, access, and affordability steepen, limiting opportunity across American society, according to NACAC’s press release.

“Our ultimate aim,” said NACAC Chief Education and Policy Officer David Hawkins, “is to go beyond theories of equity for postsecondary opportunity and make specific, actionable recommendations for policymakers that can produce changes at the institutional, state, and federal levels.”

The panel will study three priority areas: the college-entrance pipeline, postsecondary financial aid requirements, and the role of racial equity in postsecondary enrollment. Upon completing its analyses, the panel aims to release three sets of recommendations over the summer: a guide for colleges centered around racial and ethnic inclusion, a related guide for postsecondary institutional leaders, and recommendations for federal and state policymakers encouraging an equity-based college transition.

Coleman is managing partner and co-founder of EducationCounsel, a mission-based education consulting firm in affiliation with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. With extensive background in providing legal, policy, strategic planning, and advocacy services to educators throughout the country, Coleman focuses principally on issues of access, diversity, inclusion, and institutional quality in postsecondary education.

The panel was created in partnership with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and is funded by Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all, according to its website.