For Release: IMMEDIATE
June 23, 2003

Rensselaer President Issues Statement Regarding U.S. Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings

The following statement was issued by The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D., president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and president-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in response to today’s U.S. Supreme Court rulings:

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute believes that student diversity plays an essential role in educating the leaders of the next generation. Therefore, we actively recruit young men and women who are ethnically and geographically diverse and who reflect the population of our nation and of the world. Rensselaer does not use a point system in its admissions process.

Additionally, we believe that the debate about affirmative action is a red herring. It allows stereotypes about race to cloud our national dialogue while simultaneously ignoring the importance of mining the talent that exists within traditionally underrepresented groups. This talent resides in a new majority, comprised of young women, minority youth, and young people with disabilities. Taken together, they account for the “underrepresented majority,” who should be given opportunities to learn and to excel in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. These areas of academic focus are vital to the future of our country.

As a nation, we should enlist K-12 teachers, parents, principals, scientists, and policymakers to identify, to attract, and to nurture all talent, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or physical challenges. The continued technological superiority of the United States depends on it.

CONTACT: Caroline Jenkins
518-276-6542
jenkic@rpi.edu