Ohio State officials offer reaction to Supreme Court’s decision in University of Michigan cases
Statement of President Karen A. Holbrook
COLUMBUS -- Today is a watershed day for higher education and for all those who value diversity. We are pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court, by affirming the Bakke decision, has recognized the importance of diversity in higher education. We believe that the University of Michigan made a compelling case, supported by the amicus briefs representing the views of so many universities and higher education associations, the business community and the military, for continuing efforts to increase diversity on college campuses.
The Ohio State University is and will continue to be fully committed to diversity. Diversity fosters intellectual and social growth, and prepares our students for the workplace. Our campus is more ethnically and racially diverse than at any time in its history, and at the same time the academic quality of our student body is at its highest level ever.
As we become more familiar with the fine points in the Court’s opinion, we will be charting our course for the future.
Statement of Mac A. Stewart, Vice Provost, Minority Affairs
COLUMBUS -- First, let me add my support to President Holbrook’s comments. The Ohio State University was created by a great act of federal legislation, and we have always lived within the law of the land. As the law changes, we will continue to live within the law.
We believe that the strategic leadership documents of Ohio State – the Academic Plan and the Diversity Action Plan – are consistent with our land grant heritage and with the tradition of valuing diversity that we have built over the years. We will continue to value diversity, although the precise ways in which our policies may need to be modified are as yet unclear.
I am confident that our core values will not change and that our commitment to diversity will increase as the State of Ohio becomes increasingly diverse in the decades to come.
Statement of Nancy H. Rogers, Dean, Moritz College of Law
COLUMBUS -- The Moritz College of Law faculty and administration believe firmly in the value of diversity. The college enjoys a broadly diverse student body. We are pleased that the Supreme Court has so strongly affirmed the educational importance of diversity and upheld the doctrine of Bakke, which recognizes that a diverse student body is “at the heart of a law school’s proper institutional mission.” Bakke has served as a basis for the college’s admissions policies. As the Court has said today, law schools are the training ground for the national leaders of tomorrow. Our diverse graduates serve the nation well. They include members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, state supreme court justices and many judges, as well as leaders of business, the military, and law firms. And, what all of our graduates have learned from classmates and faculty in a diverse learning environment has prepared them superbly to serve people with differing life experiences. As the Court said today, “Effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our Nation is essential if the dream of one Nation, indivisible, is to be realized.”
