University of Michigan Board of Regents targets DEI office for ‘defunding’ or major changes, faculty senate freaks out
‘Our understanding is that the Regents may announce or vote to implement the plan as early as December 5th,’ the email announced.
The University of Michigan’s DEI program has been accused of spending hundreds of millions of dollars in order to promote division.
The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents is planning to eliminate or drastically change the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office at the school.
On Wednesday, John D. Sailer, senior fellow and Director of Higher Education Policy at the Manhattan Institute, posted an email from the University of Michigan Faculty Senate chair announcing the proposed changes on X.
The chair wrote to other members of the Faculty Senate, warning them about “impending threats” to DEI at the University of Michigan.
The email mentions that the university’s Board of Regents “have charged the President (who has then asked Executive Vice Presidents) to come up with a plan to defund or ‘restructure’ [the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion]. There do not seem to be safeguards at the presidential and provostial level where leadership is asking the regents to articulate their concerns about DEl or asserting our institutional commitment to these values.”
“Our understanding is that the Regents may announce or vote to implement the plan as early as December 5th (their next scheduled meeting), before the inauguration of President Donald Trump,” the chair continued.
The email also referenced a recent New York Times article that detailed the University of Michigan’s failed DEI agenda. The chair called the Times story a “tendentious attack on U-M’s DEI programs” and also referred to a response to the article from Tabbye Chavous, the Vice Provost for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at the university.
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Nicholas Confessore wrote in the Times on Oct. 16 about the University of Michigan’s massive spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on DEI--an expenditure that he claimed only served to promote division at the school.
Chavous attacked Confessore’s claims, alleging that his article was “filled with misinformation, disinformation and, sadly, sexism.”
A University of Michigan spokesperson told Campus Reform: “The University of Michigan has a rich history of cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive community and we remain strongly committed to providing an equal opportunity to all students. We believe an intellectually rich and diverse campus community and working environment are fundamental to a world-class education, and to research and innovations that have a positive impact on society.”
More and more universities have been jettisoning their DEI offices and programs, stating that such initiatives are promoting division and taking the focus away from helping students succeed academically.
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Michigan Board of Regents and the Faculty Senate for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
