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"What is the cost of not having
high-quality public universities?" President Coleman asks
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| Mary Sue Coleman |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - University of Michigan
President Mary Sue Coleman, whose university was the defendant in
two lawsuits assailing its use of race as a factor in college admissions,
believes American education must do more to help minorities. "I
regret that our colleges and universities are so often the first
place that students of different races and ethnic backgrounds begin
truly to encounter each other," Coleman said Oct. 12 in a speech
here at the University of North Carolina (UNC). "I regret that
our K-12 educational system prepares too few minority students for
success in higher education."
Coleman, a former graduate student and administrator
at UNC, returned to campus as the keynote speaker for the 210th
University Day celebration. Coleman said the [U-M] victory [in the
Supreme Court cases] is neither complete nor absolute, and she believes
it emphasizes some of society’s problems. Public universities will
also continue to face fiscal challenges, Coleman said. But she said
the real question is this: "What is the cost of not having
high-quality public universities?" She said future success
of higher education will require fewer cuts. "This means that
the burden will not fall disproportionately on students, that universities
will not make cuts that constantly erode the quality of education,
and that the public works with us to determine the best way to deal
with these complex challenges." Coleman stepped in as Michigan’s
president just before the [Supreme Court] prepared to hear oral
arguments. UNC supported Michigan’s position.
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