The U.S. Supreme Court's Ruling on Affirmative Action in the Michigan Cases

June 24, 2003

In upholding the use of race as a factor in college admissions, the Supreme Court has affirmed a value held not only by the vast majority of schools and colleges in this country but by leading corporations, the professions, labor unions, civil rights groups and military leaders. Diversity in all its forms is essential to achieving excellence. In the context of education, we learn from understanding difference, from engaging with those whose experiences challenge our own.

Smith College actively seeks a student body that is racially diverse, using a holistic application review process that considers every applicant individually, in the context of her unique opportunities and abilities.

Like many institutions, Smith confronts some challenges as it seeks to build diversity, including its location in a non-urban area, but it also has great strengths: its long history of reaching out to international students and faculty; its strong support, dating from the early 1960s, of programs to recruit African-American students; and its commitment to meeting the full demonstrated need of all admitted students. These are but a few of the important foundations on which we will continue to build, with strategic focus and sustained commitment.

Carol Christ