MIT Files Brief in Supreme Court on University of Michigan Affirmative Action Case
Apr 8, 2013 2348 views 
On February 18, 2003, MIT filed a brief with the US Supreme Court to support the University of Michigan's case defending its current admissions policies. MIT President Charles Vest outlined MIT's position on the case, that is threatening to take away the option to consider race as "one of many factors" in the college admission process. Joining MIT in this friend of the court brief are Stanford University, DuPont, IBM, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science, and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. In this impassioned speech, Vest states, "we must preserve the legal right and moral authority to consider race as one of many factors in college and university admissions, and in other programs and dimensions of our life and learning." "Two great universities, the largest national consortium for advancing engineering careers for minorities, two of the largest and best known technology-based companies in the world, and the two most prestigious academies in science and engineering will be standing together in a highly public manner. When the question is asked, 'Where were you?, ' MIT's answer will be clear."