Microsoft Backs Policy on College Diversity

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, said it supports the University of Michigan’s policy of giving admissions preference to minority students and is part of a brief being filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by more than 50 companies.

“Proactive efforts are critical in cultivating racial and ethnic diversity at institutions of higher education,” Claudette Whiting, senior diversity director at Microsoft, said in a statement. Such policies help Microsoft “recruit the diverse workforce necessary for success in today’s global marketplace.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to review the University of Michigan’s policy in March or April through a lawsuit brought by three white University of Michigan applicants who argue that affirmative action is divisive and unnecessary.

The lawsuit has the support of the Bush administration.