APLU Praises U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling to Uphold Race-Conscious Admissions Program at University of Texas at Austin

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities President Peter McPherson today released the following statement praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the University of Texas at Austin’s race-conscious admissions program.

“APLU praises the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the University of Texas at Austin’s race-conscious admissions program, which helps ensure its campus is filled with qualified students from diverse backgrounds. The precedent the Court set today will serve our nation, its universities, and its people well as we seek to further expand access to a quality higher education.

“College campuses are not just where students go to earn degrees. As holistic places of learning, they serve as the public squares that host America’s most contested debates – guiding our never-ending national journey to grow, advance, and do right by all people. Campuses are where students, faculty, and staff should be exposed to expanded views and new modes of thinking. On campuses across America, individuals from every conceivable background, belief, heritage, and political persuasion convene to weigh society’s thorniest and most vexing challenges.

“Today’s decision is more than a narrow ruling on the role of race in college admissions; it is a reaffirmation of the principle that the United States is a tapestry of diversity that flourishes when its people engage in the joint pursuit of new knowledge and the collective act of civic engagement.

“A diverse campus doesn’t just help students grow while they are on campus. It prepares them for life after school when they will live and work in a global economy with far more people who don’t have their same background than who do. For our colleges and universities to truly prepare our nation’s next generations of leaders those colleges and universities need to be filled with a diverse array of students, faculty, and staff. The Supreme Court’s decision affirms the value of all of this and will help ensure its reality.”