Obama administration: Colleges should seek diversity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration told colleges and universities today they can continue to use admissions to increase diversity among their students, even in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that could potentially open the door to more challenges.

"Racially diverse educational environments help to prepare students to succeed in our increasingly diverse nation," the administration said in a letter to schools.

The Supreme Court ruled June 24 that schools should approve the use of race as a factor in admissions only after concluding "that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educational benefits of diversity." The 7-1 decision, stemming from a case challenging the University of Texas admission plan, did not question the underpinnings of affirmative action.

Civil-rights advocates celebrated that the door on affirmative action had not been slammed shut. But at the same time, the decision appeared to embolden challengers who feel they've been discriminated against.

In its letter today, the administration said the court "preserved the well-established legal principle" that colleges and universities have a compelling interest in a diverse student body. It was signed by Catherine E. Lhamon, the Education Department's assistant secretary in the Office for Civil Rights, and Jocelyn Samuels, the Justice Department's acting assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division.