The issue of race and whether it should be a consideration in college admission criteria is back on the Supreme Court's plate.
It comes just three months after the latest demographic studies tell us that, for the first time ever in America, the majority of babies born in America are non-white.
So, how much longer will we have to debate the merits of affirmative action? Not long.
Nine years ago, the high court reaffirmed the rights of public universities to use race as a consideration — but not a deciding factor — in assessing an application.
The "consideration" is needed because a large number of minority students are educated through substandard urban schools and because institutional racism exists at many colleges, several of which prohibited black students on campus at some point in their history. Most educators view ethnic diversity within the student body as a tremendous value for the college experience.
Abigail Fisher, a white student, is asking the court to reconsider its ruling, saying she was discriminated against by the University of Texas. Fisher alleges she was more qualified than several students of color who were accepted.
Innovative approaches to diversifying colleges are now used on many campuses. The University of Texas, for example, admits all Texas high school students who finish in the top 10 percent of their class. Texas has a majority-minority state population and a high number of number of racially homogeneous high schools, so granting those 10 percenters acceptance guarantees that there will be a diverse group of freshman. Grades, test scores, leadership abilities, work experience and yes, race are other matters put under consideration at UT.
The Supreme Court case bears watching because a verdict could set a new direction about the consideration of race, public policy and public education for years to come. The June census makes it abundantly clear that a historic tipping point has occurred in America's demographics. And it is likely to have wide-reaching implications for public education, employment and housing.
With non-white babies in America now making up the majority — 50.4 percent — of babies being born here, this is a seminal moment in American history. It's the precursor before more states and cities resemble Harford, a capital city that has a minority-majority population.
Ivy League schools are trying novel approaches to integrate their student bodies, leveraging those billion-dollar endowments to provide scholarship opportunities to city kids who are performing well academically in school. The Yale-funded New Haven Promise will grant scholarships to state public universities to New Haven students who maintain a B average, stellar attendance and community service through high school. The Promise was modeled after similar program in Kalamazoo, Mich.
In addition to the allure of the Promise, Harvard and Yale now charge tuition based on a percentage of a parent's income. So, lower- and middle-class families have a much more realistic opportunity of having a child attend one of the country's finest universities. If a student is accepted and the income is low enough, some students can attend essentially for free.
Academia understands the value of a diversified campus. For many universities, it is an important recruiting pitch. The military gets it, too. It has become an imperative for the armed services to have a diverse rank and file to adequately defend globally. Fortune 500 companies have been coming on board as well, as they compete to increase market share. The sectors with the most potential for growth are the ethnic markets.
President Barack Obama — a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard — and his administration have asked the Supreme Court to reaffirm the right given to universities, because of the vital need for a diverse workforce, to consider race when accepting applicants. That doesn't and shouldn't mean that someone who is not qualified gets accepted because of race.
Almost a decade ago, it was a bunch of white guys who made the strongest pitch to the Supreme Court in advocating for affirmative action. The business titans and military commanders conceded they are simply less competitive when their rank and file and managers are not ethnically diverse.
The court took heed then. It should do so again now.
Stan Simpson is host of "The Stan Simpson Show'' (www.ctnow.com/stan and Saturdays, 6:30 a.m., on FOX CT).
