Stanford president ‘disappointed’ in SCOTUS ruling of removing race-based admission

Posted: Jun 29, 2023 / 02:35 PM PDT

Updated: Jun 29, 2023 / 07:56 PM PDT

(KRON) — The Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday. Race can no longer be a factor in the admission process, and it forces schools to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies, the new SCOTUS ruling says.

Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne reacted to the news hours after the ruling was announced. In an open letter to the Stanford community, Tessier-Lavigne said he is “disappointed” in the ruling.

“For that reason, I am deeply disappointed by today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upends the long-standing practice of race-conscious university admissions to help achieve a diverse student body,” Tessier-Lavigne said in the letter. “I know that many of you in our community are disheartened. Now, our task is to respond in ways that allow Stanford to continue expanding opportunity and fulfilling our mission in a diverse and changing world.”

The university said it has used “race-conscious admissions” for many years in order to have a diverse student body. Despite Stanford having to adjust its means to achieve diversity on campus, the university’s newest focus is to expand its outreach efforts to applicants from all backgrounds.

“We want excellent students from all backgrounds, including those from historically underrepresented ones, to know about and consider Stanford,” Tessier-Lavigne wrote.

Stanford — controversially — had a history of race playing a factor in its admissions process. A report revealed that Stanford tried to limit the number of Jewish students admitted to the university during the 1950s.

Last October, Tessier-Lavigne issued an apology on behalf of Stanford and its actions of discrimination. The university’s president added in the apology he is confident no anti-Jewish bias in Stanford admissions exists today.

The full letter from Tessier-Lavigne to the Stanford community can be read here. The University of California President also issued a statement in response to the ruling, saying he is also “disappointed.”