Chair - Elizabeth Campbell Partner and Chief Diversity Officer, Andrews Kurth LLP, and co-author of the amicus brief for the Houston Community College System in support of respondent UT Austin, in the Fisher case.

Panel Session Synopsis:

"Fisher v. UT Austin: A case study on the need for diversity in higher education."

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, many may have thought that the issue of consideration of race in the higher education admissions process was resolved -- at least for the next 25 years. As it turns out, the discourse surrounding the issue is far from resolved. In a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, an applicant who failed to gain admission to the University of Texas at Austin has challenged the constitutionality of UT's admission program, which considers an applicant's race as one factor in the school's holistic review of an applicant's qualifications. Oral arguments were heard by the Court on October 10, 2012, and the case is pending (as of February 25, 2013).

A distinguished and diverse panel of attorneys will discuss the legal issues presented in the Fisher case and how resolution of the case might impact diversity in higher education. This will be an interactive session with questions from the audience forming a critical piece of the program.

Moderator:

	Lino Mendiola Partner Andrews Kurth LLP Co-Author of the amicus brief for the Houston Community College System

Panelists

				Joel Mandelman Vice President & General Counsel Nutech O3 Author of the amicus brief for the Texas Association of Scholars in sup-port of the plaintiff
				John Paul Schnapper-Casteras Associate Sidley Austin LLP Co-authored an amicus brief in Fisher v. UT Austin On behalf of Dean Robert Post of Yale Law School and Dean Martha Minow of Harvard Law School in support of respondent (UT Austin et al.)
				Marlen W. Whitley Partner in the Corporate & Securities Practice Group Thompson & Knight LLP Graduate of University of Texas at Austin and University of Texas Law School Party to an amicus brief filed on behalf of student body presidents of University of Texas at Austin