Admissions
Recently, the Supreme Court handed down decisions in two cases challenging race-sensitive admissions policies at the University of Michigan. The Court's 5-4 ruling upheld the university's law school admissions system, which factors in race as one among many factors in the admissions process, but struck down the school's undergraduate admissions process that gave minorities a numeric advantage on the admissions point scale by a 6-3 vote.
The Court maintained that affirmative action policies in themselves do not constitute an illegal quota system and are a vital tool for diversifying college campuses. In effect, race is just one of many factors other than grades and test scores that universities consider, along with geographic origin, socioeconomic status, personal or family hardships, alumni history, and special talents and experiences.
Harvard, together with many other private and public educational institutions, filed an amicus brief in support of Michigan's admissions policies, which champion diversity in higher education and leadership roles.
Landmark cases and rulings
- Grutter v. Bollinger (The University of Michigan Law School)
- Gratz and Hamacher v. Bollinger, et al. (The University of Michigan)
- Smith v. University of Washington Law School
- Hopwood v. Texas (The University of Texas)
- Wooden v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
- Proposition 209 (The State of California)
- University of California Regents v. Bakke (Precedent-setting case)
|
|
