Diversity in Public Education

Diversity is only one factor that accounts for the wreckage of American public education, including our colleges and universities--but it is an important one. James Daughdrill (“Diversity at the Service of Politics,” Column Right, Dec. 16) correctly observes that hiring quotas based on gender and race actually prevent diversity.

The tragedy of this travesty is that although legally discriminating policies will result in hiring more women and minorities, not hiring the best-qualified persons--regardless of gender, race or any other criterion--will diminish the long-term quality of college and university programs, a price too high to pay.

Worst of all, women and minorities hired under such personnel policies will forever be stigmatized: Colleagues will never regard them as real peers, and students will question their qualifications because preferential policies, not education and work experience, determined their employment.

HUGH GLENN, Laguna Niguel