Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, cited Harvard University's 1920s restrictions on Jewish enrollment as an example of how merit-based selection can be compromised in ways that harm scientific advancement.

In a 90-page report titled "Science: A New Golden Age" Released this week, Kratsios described what he characterized as an "increasingly calcified system" That focuses on wrong priorities and measures success by funding distribution rather than scientific merit. He argued that "we have become dependent on a narrow set of legacy institutions" And that "our incentive structures reward conformity over bold inquiry."

According to the report, the merit principle underlying American research has eroded. National Science Foundation grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion increased from 1% to 25% of the foundation's allocations during the Biden administration, the report states.

NASA recently removed its requirement that research contain "inclusion goals" Subject to review by panels that included "diversity, equity and inclusion professionals," According to the report.

Kratsios drew a historical parallel, noting that "In the 1920s, elite universities implemented quotas limiting Jewish enrollment. Harvard's president worried about a 'Jewish problem' as Jewish students grew from 6% to 22% of the student body." He described the methods used-"subjective criteria for 'character' and 'leadership,' diversity requirements designed to recruit from regions with fewer Jewish residents and 'holistic' reviews that obscured the actual basis for decisions"-as "strikingly familiar," And stated the quotas "excluded some of the most talented minds in American science."

Kratsios concluded that "the United States should learn from this history rather than repeat it. When qualified candidates are passed over for reasons unrelated to their scientific ability, when they are judged for who they are rather than for their ideas, we injure the cause of progress, discovery and America's scientific competitiveness."