The Supreme Court’s June 23 decision on affirmative action, re-emphasizing “the educational benefits that flow from student body diversity” at colleges and universities and allowing race as a factor in admissions criteria, has provided welcome support for Princeton University’s efforts to promote inclusion, diversity, and equity on campus.

Citing Supreme Court rulings back to the 1978 Bakke decision, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber stated, “The Court has consistently recognized that the judicious use of race as one factor among many admission criteria can play an important role in universities’ efforts to enroll talented students from all backgrounds, promote intercultural understanding, eliminate stereotypes, and cultivate leaders for our multiracial society.”

Emphasizing the University’s policies in the area of diversity, Mr. Eisgruber continued, “The goal of creating a diverse, inclusive, and equal society is fundamentally important to Princeton University, this country, and the world. I am confident that Princeton’s holistic admission policies have enhanced this University’s contribution to that mission.”

Mr. Eisgruber went on to explain the importance of such Supreme Court rulings to universities’ efforts to “break down barriers that would otherwise stand in the way of equal opportunity. They have allowed us to attract and enroll talented students who have made vital contributions to our classrooms and campuses, and who have used their educations to benefit our society and the world.”

In a statement issued on the day of the Supreme Court ruling, Mr. Eisgruber applauded Justice Kennedy’s affirmation of the deference due to universities “in defining those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are essential to its identity and educational mission.” Continuing to quote Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Eisgruber stated, “It remains an enduring challenge to our Nation’s education system to reconcile the pursuit of diversity with the constitutional promise of equal treatment and dignity.”

Mr. Eisgruber noted his appreciation of both the deference accorded to universities by the Supreme Court ruling and “the responsibility that accompanies its exercise.”

The Supreme Court’s unexpected 4-3 decision, Fisher v. University of Texas, rejected a challenge to a race-conscious admissions program at University of Texas at Austin, but left room for future challenges to racial preference policies, warning that not all affirmative action programs will qualify for court approval.

West Windsor resident Julia Yang, who will be starting a PhD program in materials science and engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in the fall, expressed her support for the Supreme Court decision in light of her recent experience as an undergraduate at Carnegie Mellon University.

“It can only be a blessing to be surrounded by peers from different backgrounds,” Ms. Yang said. Noting that concern for students admitted under affirmative action policies centers on whether those students can compete with their peers who are objectively better prepared, Ms. Yang noted that “some of my most successful undergraduate peers (who are now working for top tech companies or attending prestigious graduate programs) started out a step behind everybody else. Struggling in the beginning does not equate to struggling in the end. It is vital to continue this policy to give students, who were weaker on paper as 18-year-olds, the opportunities to flourish.”