The following is a statement from University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action:
We are reviewing today’s Supreme Court decision but, based on our preliminary review, we do not believe it has any effect on The University of Texas at Austin’s admissions policy or our recent admissions decisions.
In today’s ruling, the court recognized that the Schuette case from Michigan was not “about the constitutionality, or the merits, of race-conscious admissions policies in higher education.” The court also reaffirmed that in the case of Fisher versus the University of Texas, the court “did not disturb the principle that the consideration of race in admissions is permissible, provided that certain conditions are met.”
UT Austin’s admissions policy meets those conditions and we are awaiting a ruling from a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel. UT Austin uses race as one of many factors in our holistic review of applicants. Assembling a diverse student body is vital to the education of all students on campus and helps train the future leaders of our state and nation who will increasingly work in a diverse and global society.
