*The University of Iowa attempted to redirect a privately funded scholarship away from Black chemistry students. The Iowa Supreme Court blocked the move, according to the ACLU.
At the center of the case sits a 1997 scholarship created by Dr. Ezra Totton, a chemistry professor whose work focused on breaking barriers in higher education. Decades earlier, Totton took part in 1930s litigation that challenged the exclusion of Black students from graduate programs at the University of Tennessee. He later built the scholarship to continue that mission.
After the U.S. Supreme Court issued its affirmative action ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College, the University of Iowa cited the decision to seek court approval to redirect Totton’s gift toward first-generation students. The district court rejected the request. The Iowa Supreme Court later upheld that ruling.
The ACLU of Iowa and the NAACP of Iowa and Nebraska filed an amicus brief. They argued that the university’s position failed on two legal grounds. First, Iowa law protects donor intent in private funds and limits changes that override a donor’s wishes. Second, courts, not institutions, must decide any modification to charitable gifts.
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Data on student populations also complicated the university’s argument. Black students make up less than 3 percent of enrollment at the University of Iowa. First-generation students account for 19 percent. National figures also show Black students carry higher debt loads, receive financial aid at higher rates, and earn lower average incomes ten years after graduation.
“Dr. Totton was a pioneering civil rights leader who dedicated his life to breaking barriers and creating opportunities for others,” said Betty Andrews, president of the NAACP Iowa-Nebraska State Area Conference of Branches.
The case now returns to district court. A judge will decide how to distribute the funds while preserving Totton’s intent as fully as possible.
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