Editor's Note: In response to media inquires from around the country about today's rulings by the Supreme Court concerning the University of Michigan cases, Penn State President Graham Spanier has been providing the following comments. We think Penn State Live readers might have an interest in this perspective.
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"I am pleased with the Supreme Court rulings today, which I believe are fair, clarify for higher education some issues that have been murky for the last 25 years and are consistent with Penn State's approach to admissions and affirmative action.
"The Supreme Court has acknowledged that racial diversity is a compelling educational purpose. This provides welcome clarification and support for practices that came out of the 1978 Bakke decision.
"The court discarded point systems, such as those in place for undergraduate admissions at Michigan, as well as quotas. Michigan's approach always seemed vulnerable to me. Penn State has never used quotas in its admissions policies and has never employed a preferential point system for admissions using race or other personal characteristics.
"Penn State's active recruitment and retention efforts have resulted in a 50 percent increase in minority enrollments during the past eight years. The Supreme Court rulings in the Michigan cases reaffirm Penn State's approach to inclusiveness."