Pitt, Duquesne respond after Supreme Court rejects affirmative action at colleges
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
The court's decision will force universities across the nation to reshape their admissions practices, especially at top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants. Leaders at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University issued statements after the ruling.
The University of Pittsburgh's provost and senior vice chancellor, Ann E. Cudd, said in a statement that the school's mission hasn't changed despite the ruling.
"The University of Pittsburgh's mission is to improve lives through education and knowledge," Cudd said. "We believe that all of our students can and should benefit from this mission and that diversity, in all its forms, enhances our individual and shared success and improves the educational experience. In the wake of today's ruling, these guiding principles remain unchanged, and we are evaluating our admission practices to ensure that they continue to be inclusive, fair, and fully compliant with the law."
Duquesne president Ken Gormley said the university is disappointed in the decision but respects it "as an essential part of our democratic system."
"Moreover, the Court's ruling that the explicit consideration of race in the admissions process is unconstitutional will not affect our long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of our University's foundational principles and mission," Gormley's statement read in part. "Duquesne will remain dedicated to reviewing each potential student's application by focusing on a range of factors, apart from race, that contribute to identifying students of all backgrounds who will succeed at Duquesne and become the next generation of leaders."
The court's conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively.
The decision, like last year's momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal in finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to recipients of federal funding, as almost all colleges and universities are.
Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.
Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have "concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual's identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice."
From the White House, President Joe Biden said he "strongly, strongly" disagreed with the court's ruling and urged colleges to seek other routes to diversity rather than let the ruling "be the last word."