Manuel S. González Canché, associate professor in the higher education division of Penn GSE, has received a grant award from the AccessLex Institute for the project “The Effect of the Uniform Bar Examination on Diversity, Affordability, and Employment Prospects.” The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether the adoption of Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) has positively influenced increased diversity in law school enrollment and completion, bar passage rates, tuition costs, employment mobility and overall employment prospects.

Dr. González Canché brings an innovative set of tools—including econometric, geospatial and network analysis methods—to study the structural factors that influence minority and at-risk students’ likelihood of success, including less access to financial, academic and social resources. He aims to identify plans of action capable of closing these social and economic gaps. His work has already challenged traditional ideas about access, persistence and success in higher education, and has led to a better understanding of the effect of location, influence and competition.