The UW System Board of Regents has unanimously approved a new admissions policy. Just prior to Friday morning's vote, UW System President Kevin Reilly read an editorial written by the late U.S. president, Gerald Ford. America and Wisconsin are "a work in progress," said Reilly, adding that "the balanced and reasonable, and we have every reason to believe legal, admissions policy that you have before you today, allows us to continue to make progress toward that just and humane society that President Ford envisioned."
Regent Danae Davis, the only African-American woman on the board, commended her colleagues for not altering the new policy . "In our quest to make clear about what we are for, we resisted the temptation to make it easier for ourselves by taking the word race out of the policy." Critics of the new policy have charged that including race in the criteria to be considered for admission to UW will be found unconstitutional. UW officials have said they expect the new policy will withstand a court challenge.