In court, the Clinton Administration supports race-based scholarships.

A20 A Federal appeals court challenges race-based scholarships.

He says race-based scholarships are legally questionable, thereby winning plaudits from conservatives who oppose affirmative action programs.

The Supreme Court decided last May that race-based scholarships were unconstitutional.

Mr. Riley wrote that his purpose in writing the letter was to end the two-year-old controversy over race-based scholarships.

Minority students who are truly struggling to advance themselves should apply to college regardless of whether a race-based scholarship is available.

More likely, minority students who apply to college on that basis pursue higher education only because race-based scholarships have been set aside for them.

With race-based scholarships also deemed illegal by the court, will the university lose top minority students to out-of-state colleges and universities and private institutions?

The debate over race-based scholarships began in the mid-1980's.

Conservatives asked for a ban on race-based scholarships, saying aid money going to federally supported colleges should reward merit only.