The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear two affirmative action lawsuits brought against the University of Michigan is not expected to affect MSU's admissions policy, an MSU official said Monday.
Pamela Horne, director of admissions and scholarships at MSU, said the court's decision will impact higher education, but will probably not change things at MSU. Horne was formerly the director of admissions at U-M.
"It's an extremely important decision," she said. "Most people in higher education are pleased that the Supreme Court will hear it."
Horne said MSU's admissions process is focused mainly on academics. As a secondary guideline, she said the university will look at other factors, such as community leadership, activities and the racial and ethnic background a prospective student could bring to the university.
U-M undergraduate applicants Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher and U-M Law School applicant Barbara Grutter brought lawsuits against the university in 1997 for denying them admission over minorities they felt were less qualified.
The law school admissions policy was ruled constitutional in May by the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, but the appeals court has not made a decision in the undergraduate lawsuit.
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said if the Supreme Court rules against the university, it would set back progress the university has made in increasing diversity.
"Now is not the time to turn back the clock," Coleman said in a written statement. "A ruling overturning Bakke could result in the immediate resegregation of our nation's top universities, both public and private."
In 1978, the Supreme Court heard the case of the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and decided race could be considered in university admissions.
Coleman stands by her university's admissions policy.
"Race still matters in our society," she said. "The ideal of colorblindness does not mean we can or should be blind to that reality."
The cases will go before the Supreme Court in the spring, and a ruling should be made by June.
To bring more diversity to MSU, Horne said there is a program aimed at bringing in economically underprivileged students.
The College Achievement Admissions Program brought about 460 students to MSU in this fall.
"It's specifically designed for students who have experienced an socioeconomic disadvantage," she said.
U-M Assistant General Counsel Jonathan Alger said a diverse student population is directly linked to the quality of education the university produces, and U-M is prepared for the case in the spring.
"We're ready to defend our policies," Alger said. "We feel good about where we are."
Alger said he hopes the court will not reverse the decision made in the Bakke case because it promotes diversity on campuses.
"Colleges and universities have been relying on it for 24 years now," he said. "Now that we're making some progress, now is not the time to abandon an important tool in making that possible."
Frank Ravitch, associate professor of law at MSU-Detroit College of Law, said he's not surprised the case of the student trying to gain admission into the U-M Law School went to the Supreme Court, but wasn't expecting the case of the two undergraduates to go that far.
"Eventually they were going to take one, and certainly the Michigan Law School case is good to bring before the Supreme Court," Ravitch said. "But if they decide to turn over Michigan's policies, it'll have a massive impact on the admissions in the state."
Amy Bartner can be reached at bartnera@msu.edu.
