Q&A: Stuart Schmill on considering race in admissions
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday issued its decision in Fisher v. University of Texas, with a majority of justices rejecting an argument that the university’s consideration of race in an admissions program was unconstitutional. Many in higher education have closely watched this case since 2008 because of its possible implications for affirmative action policies at schools nationwide, as well as for the leeway that educators have in assessing and experimenting with their admissions programs to enrich the education of every student. MIT, which supports the use of race as one of many factors in making undergraduate admissions decisions, filed amicus briefs in the case in 2012 and again in 2015. In both “friend of the court” briefs, MIT and peer institutions wrote that they “speak with one voice to the profound importance of a diverse student body — including racial diversity — for their educational missions.” Stuart Schmill, dean of...