Anthony Abraham Jack to deliver Carleton convocation on leveling the playing field in college admissions 

Anthony Abraham Jack will deliver convocation at Carleton College on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, from 10:50–11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. The event is free and open to the public, and also will be livestreamed for those who register in advance.

Jack is the acclaimed author of “The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students,” which examines the often overlooked diversity within lower-income college students. In his book, he describes the distinction between the “Privileged Poor”—those who had access to private, boarding, and preparatory high schools, and the “Doubly Disadvantaged”—lower-income students who enter college from typically underfunded public high schools. His research shows that while students in both categories are at an economic disadvantage, the “Privileged Poor” have more cultural capital to aid their success in their undergraduate experiences and beyond. 

As a speaker, Jack talks about the ways that top schools fail to properly support the low–income students whom they admit, and how on-campus class divides can create barriers to academic success and will detail how schools can change to level the playing field for first generation and low-income college students. 

Jack himself was a first-generation college student, who received a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, and both a master’s and doctoral degree from Harvard University. He is an associate professor and serves as the faculty director of the Newbury Center at Boston University, which focuses on ensuring the success and inclusion of first-generation students at Boston University. His work and insights have been published in a variety of academic journals and newspapers, including: Common Reader, Du Bois Review, Sociology of Education, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Financial Times, and many more. “The Privileged Poor” was awarded the Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize in 2018 by Harvard University Press. 

Jack will also host an all-campus reception from 4–5 p.m. in the Larson Family Room of the Weitz Center for Creativity. Bringing knitting projects to the reception is encouraged. 

While this convocation will not be video or audio recorded, many others are. Find upcoming events and archived recordings (including in podcast form) on the convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5461 or email nponder@carleton.edu.