NEWS RELEASE

6/23/03

James Robinson, News Service: (650) 723-5675, jamesrob@stanford.edu

Hennessy makes statement on Supreme Court rulings

President John Hennessy issued the following statement in response to Monday's rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court on affirmative action:

We are very pleased the Supreme Court has affirmed the principle articulated by Justice Powell in the Bakke case that diversity is a compelling interest in the college admission process. Our admission programs at Stanford are consistent with the individualized determination that was reaffirmed today by the Court and, without exception, the university seeks to admit students with the potential to excel at Stanford and later in life. In the next few days, university attorneys will study the justices' opinions carefully to further consider the details of the decisions.

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