Statement of Governor Warner on the Decision by Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors to Reinstate Its Affirmative Action Policy

Governor Mark R. Warner issued the following statement Sunday after the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors voted 8-5 to rescind a unanimous decision made behind closed doors on March 10 to ban traditional preferences for racial minorities and other underrepresented groups in hiring, admissions and scholarships:

"I am pleased that the Virginia Tech Board has voted to rescind its March 10th resolution and establish a subcommittee to seek ways to strike a reasonable balance in promoting diversity in University programs.

"In addition, I applaud the Board's decision to revisit these issues in a public way, eliciting a full range of diverse opinions from the broad spectrum of the Tech community.

"My administration worked with the Board and the Virginia Tech administration to help produce this positive result, and I thank those Board members who supported our efforts to ensure campus diversity while we await more definitive legal guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court this summer."

Governor of Virginia - Mark R. Warner
Copyright 2003