In an open letter to the Harvard community yesterday, President Neil L. Rudenstine defended affirmative action in the wake of a recent federal appeals court ruling that the University of Texas may not use race as a factor in its law school admissions.
"I do not believe we can solve the persistent dilemma of race or ethnicity in American life simply by stating that we live--or ought to live--in a society where these characteristics have ceased to be significant," Rudenstine wrote.
"[A] person's race or ethniciety may be considered as a potential 'plus' factor among many considerations," the president continued.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in Hopwood v. Texas that despite the university's interest in promoting student diversity, it could not consider the race or ethnicity of applicants in its admissions decisions.
The ruling affects only institutions within the court's jurisdiction, which includes Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. It does not apply to Harvard.
In his statement, Rudenstine freely acknowledges that Harvard's admissions officers consider race and ethnicity important factors in the admissions process. He wrote, "The educational importance of student diversity has informed [Harvard's] admissions process for many decades."
Rudenstine said that racial and ethnic diversity on campus forces members of the Harvard community to test their assumptions and preconceptions against those of peers with different backgrounds and perspectives.
"I believe that student diversity contributes powerfully and directly to the quality of education in colleges and universities," Rudenstine wrote.
"For more than a century, Harvard has placed a very high value on the creation of a residential commu- Rudenstine challenged the wisdom of the Texas ruling and reiterated Harvard's commitment to fostering diversity within its student body. "Over many decades, this approach has made Harvard stronger both as an academic institution and as a human community," Rudenstine wrote. "Now is a time to reaffirm our commitment to building upon that progress and to sustaining an inclusive vision of higher education that I believe has been essential to our university and to the nation.
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