Victor Davis Hanson says race-based hiring and scholarships dominate modern academia
In a recent interview, Victor Davis Hanson argues that preferential hiring and scholarship policies for minorities have become entrenched in U.S. higher education.
During a conversation on one outlet’s “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” the scholar detailed a career marked by repeated rejections because institutions prioritized hiring women and minorities over qualified white men. He recalled being denied a Naval Academy post and a full-time role at Fresno State despite a Stanford Ph.D. and a published book, only to be offered part-time or minority-focused positions. Hanson also described early exposure to race-based scholarships and hiring bonuses, noting that such policies were reinforced by professional associations and legal pressures in the post-Bakke era.
He argues that a whole cohort of people who came of age in the 1950s and 1960s internalized these preferences, creating a self-perpetuating system. Hanson suggests that addressing perceived inequality would have been more effective by improving K-12 schools in disadvantaged districts rather than imposing quotas at the university level. Ultimately, frustrated by what he calls “blatant racism,” he retired early from academia.
Why it matters
The piece highlights ongoing debates over affirmative-action policies and their impact on hiring and scholarship practices in higher education.
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