A letter from the President of the University of Michigan... |
[Jun. 23rd, 2003|11:43 pm]
Darth Paradox
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[ | mood |
| | irritated | ] |
[ | music |
| | Gundam X - Dreams | ] | ...regarding today's decisions, mailed to the entire University community.
Note that of the two decisions, one is lauded and the other is all but ignored.
My faith in this president is waning.
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Today we received the decisions of the Supreme Court regarding our admissions cases. This is a day of enormous pride for the University of Michigan.
A majority of the Court has strongly reaffirmed the principle of diversity articulated by justice Powell in the Bakke decision. The Court said that it "endorses Justice Powell's view that student body diversity is a compelling state interest." Universities can continue to use race as one of many factors in an individualized admissions process.
>From the outset, this has been a debate about the principles to which we are dedicated at this great University, not merely about our policies. These decisions are a wonderful victory for the University of Michigan, for all of higher education, and for the hundreds of groups and thousands of individuals who supported us.
The Court has provided two important signals. The first is a green light to pursue racial and ethnic diversity in the college classroom. The second is a pathway to get us there. The Law School policy clearly met the Court's criteria for a holistic admissions process. We will modify our undergraduate admissions process to follow today's guidance from the Court. I am confident we can do that as we continue our commitment to a richly diverse student body. We expect to have a revised undergraduate admissions process in place this Autumn.
I believe these rulings will go down in history as landmark decisions of the Court. And I am proud of the role of the University of Michigan in this important debate. We argued for fair and equal access. Now, we will do whatever it takes to recruit the finest, most diverse student body possible, within the provisions of today's decisions.
We must look to the future and affirm our institutional commitment to diversity in every aspect of our community: our student body, our faculty, and our staff.
These decisions affect not only our own University, but universities, public and private, throughout the nation. I pledge to you that the University of Michigan will take the lead in creating new ways to infuse our campuses with the myriad perspectives that fuel our strength.
We will make a dual promise to future generations of students and to our alumni, who are so proud of their Michigan heritage: First, our commitment to a diverse campus will continue. And second, every student admitted to our University will continue to be eminently well qualified.
As we work to ascertain the ramifications of these decisions and to devise means to work within them, I expect that members of our community will engage in a full and robust debate of many related issues. I anticipate this discussion will be civil and respectful of all points of view. Your right to freedom of expression is paramount at the University of Michigan. This is a hallmark of our educational system, and one of which I am most proud.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to provide updated information on our main University WWW site <[ Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<www.umich.edu>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.] ...regarding today's decisions, mailed to the entire University community.
Note that of the two decisions, one is lauded and the other is all but ignored.
My faith in this president is waning.
-----------------
Today we received the decisions of the Supreme Court regarding our admissions cases. This is a day of enormous pride for the University of Michigan.
A majority of the Court has strongly reaffirmed the principle of diversity articulated by justice Powell in the Bakke decision. The Court said that it "endorses Justice Powell's view that student body diversity is a compelling state interest." Universities can continue to use race as one of many factors in an individualized admissions process.
>From the outset, this has been a debate about the principles to which we are dedicated at this great University, not merely about our policies. These decisions are a wonderful victory for the University of Michigan, for all of higher education, and for the hundreds of groups and thousands of individuals who supported us.
The Court has provided two important signals. The first is a green light to pursue racial and ethnic diversity in the college classroom. The second is a pathway to get us there. The Law School policy clearly met the Court's criteria for a holistic admissions process. We will modify our undergraduate admissions process to follow today's guidance from the Court. I am confident we can do that as we continue our commitment to a richly diverse student body. We expect to have a revised undergraduate admissions process in place this Autumn.
I believe these rulings will go down in history as landmark decisions of the Court. And I am proud of the role of the University of Michigan in this important debate. We argued for fair and equal access. Now, we will do whatever it takes to recruit the finest, most diverse student body possible, within the provisions of today's decisions.
We must look to the future and affirm our institutional commitment to diversity in every aspect of our community: our student body, our faculty, and our staff.
These decisions affect not only our own University, but universities, public and private, throughout the nation. I pledge to you that the University of Michigan will take the lead in creating new ways to infuse our campuses with the myriad perspectives that fuel our strength.
We will make a dual promise to future generations of students and to our alumni, who are so proud of their Michigan heritage: First, our commitment to a diverse campus will continue. And second, every student admitted to our University will continue to be eminently well qualified.
As we work to ascertain the ramifications of these decisions and to devise means to work within them, I expect that members of our community will engage in a full and robust debate of many related issues. I anticipate this discussion will be civil and respectful of all points of view. Your right to freedom of expression is paramount at the University of Michigan. This is a hallmark of our educational system, and one of which I am most proud.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to provide updated information on our main University WWW site <<www.umich.edu>>.
This is an historic day for our University. You may look to me for leadership as we adapt to the new provisions of the law, and I will look to all of you for inspiration.
With my best wishes,
Mary Sue Coleman President |
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