Georgia joined with four other states in a brief supporting the Michigan ballot measure that bans the use of race in public university admissions, and it may not be hard to see why. The state’s public colleges haven’t used affirmative action since the University of Georgia saw its own admissions policy ruled unconstitutional in 2001 by a federal appeals court.
More than a decade later, officials at the state’s flagship institution have relied on other strategies to promote diversity on campus. UGA guarantees admission to the top two graduates from every accredited Georgia high school, which provides racial, ethnic and geographic diversity. It also works with the Goizueta Foundation and other groups to provide targeted scholarships and other support to attract minority students and help them succeed.
The effort has worked to a degree. In fall 2002, 13 percent of UGA’s freshmen were nonwhites, while last fall 27 percent were, according to school data.
Still, officials have said they have more work to do to make UGA more closely resemble the state, where almost 40 percent of the population is nonwhite.
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