The University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents voted unanimously on Friday to adopt a new admissions policy requiring every campus in the state system to consider applicants’ race and ethnicity.
The board approved the policy despite warnings from various critics of affirmative action, including some state legislators, that the 26-campus system’s use of a race-conscious admissions policy may violate Wisconsin laws and is likely to trigger a political backlash.
In urging his fellow regents to support the policy, David G. Walsh, the board’s president, said it was “truly about having a better educational experience for our students.”