President Cordano, other university presidents meet with U.S. Vice President Harris

White House photographs by Lawrence Jackson

President Cordano and seven other college and university presidents met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on August 8 at the White House to discuss their concerns about the impact on schools and students of the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion. 

The Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in late June. According to an article in Inside Higher Education, “The presidents said that the Dobbs ruling has both short- and long-term consequences for higher education, including potential impacts to medical school programs, reproductive care available to students on campus, privacy laws, and student mental health.” President Cordano noted that women with disabilities, including those who are deaf, are more disproportionately affected by sexual assault. 

Other university presidents at the meeting included Carmen Twillie Ambar, president of Oberlin College (Ohio); Audrey Bilger, president of Reed College (Oregon); Wayne A.I. Frederick, president of Howard University; Howard Gillman, chancellor of the University of California at Irvine; Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University; Philip Hanlon, president of Dartmouth College (New Hampshire); and Félix V. Matos Rodriguez, chancellor of the City University of New York. 

Inside Higher Education article

White House summary of the meetingWhite House video of the meeting; President Cordano appears at about 38:38