CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--MIT President Charles M. Vest issued the following statement today after the Supreme Court ruled on the University of Michigan Law School affirmative action case. MIT joined with Stanford, DuPont, IBM, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Michigan in February.
Vest said: "Today the Supreme Court--in the University of Michigan Law School case--served this nation and its future admirably by upholding universities' right to consider race as one of many factors when admitting students.
"In recognizing that a diverse student body is a compelling educational interest, the court has secured our continued ability to educate the workforce and leaders needed for a strong and coherent nation. The United States' leadership in technology, science, engineering and so many other fields rests on our ability to draw on the full complement of talented young people in our society."
