‘Watershed Moment’: University of Michigan Drops Faculty Diversity Statement Requirements

The University of Michigan will do away with soliciting diversity statements in its faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure process, following a vote from its Board of Regents, the school’s provost announced on Thursday. The policy change, which comes at the recommendation of an eight-member faculty working group, marks a significant about-face for the Ann Arbor school, which has faced heavy scrutiny for its expansive — and notoriously expensive — diversity, equity, and inclusion program. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are three of our core values at the university. Our collective efforts in this area have produced important strides in opening opportunities for all people,” Provost Laurie McCauley stated on Thursday morning. “As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.”According to a survey issued by the working group behind the recommendation, most faculty members agreed that diversity statements pressure faculty to express specific positions on moral, political, or social issues. Even more disagreed that diversity statements help cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Further, such statements, “as currently enacted,” the group wrote in their report, “have the potential to limit viewpoints and reduce diversity of thought among faculty members.”One Regent, Sarah Hubbard, who has been a vocal critic of diversity statements, described them as “litmus tests for our faculty and academics when they’re applying for jobs and being considered for a promotion” and can “really limit” programs, she told Fox News this week. Though several other private institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, have reversed-course on their diversity statement requirements, this latest rule change makes the University of Michigan among the first highly selective public schools to backpedal on its DEI initiatives via internal decision making, and not legislative enforcement. As such, the move was described by one higher education expert, John Sailer of the Manhattan Institute, as a “watershed moment.” “Michigan spearheaded the practice of diversity statements—and encouraged other universities to use them,” Mr. Sailer, who has written extensively on the issue, posted on X. “Now, it’s the first ‘blue state’ public university to nix them.” A fellow at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, Steve McGuire, called the announcement a “win” but added that there’s still “plenty of work to be done.” Mr. McGuire, whose organization advocates for academic freedom at American universities, has described DEI as “ineffective on its own terms” and also “hampers freedom of expression and diversity of thought.”However, not everyone is embracing the change warmly. Some 300 students and faculty members affiliated with the university participated in a protest ahead of the announcement, urging the Board of Regents to expand, not reel back, its DEI program. The University of Michigan, since 2016, has spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to achieve “far-reaching foundational change at every level, in every unit” in the ways of inclusivity. Despite the program’s hefty price tag, its rollout seemed to do little in the way of improving campus culture. Black students at Michigan expressed their dissatisfaction with the policy overhaul, calling it a “well-meaning failure.” Many students said that they became less likely to interact with people of different backgrounds or race as the program was put in place. This latest decision, however, suggests that the school is reining in its DEI efforts — and additional reforms may be imminent. The school’s Board of Regents, according to the New York Times, is also weighing shifting more of the school’s DEI budget into recruitment programs and financial aid for lower-income students.

‘Watershed Moment’: University of Michigan Drops Faculty Diversity Statement Requirements

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