The University of Michigan announced on Thursday that it aims to eliminate its central diversity, equity and inclusion programs and overhaul an ambitious and expensive initiative that had been long cast as a model for higher education in the United States.
Michigan is one of the most prestigious public universities in the country – and has steadily expanded DEI's efforts over the years, even if conservative lawmakers and activists from other states succeed in reimbursing or banning such programs. But on Thursday amid growing pressure on universities from the Trump administration, Michigan said it would cancel its diversity “strategic plan,” known as DEI 2.0, effectively dismantle the large administrative bureaucrats built to drive it through university universities and vocational schools.
In a campus-wide email, authorities said Michigan would expand existing bans on so-called diversity statements in faculty employment, banning more widely in admissions, promotions, awards and annual reviews. Michigan academic units will also be required to “assess the web's existence” to reflect school and federal guidance.
At the same time, the agency said it plans to redirect funding towards expanded financial aid and student counseling, shift resources to mental health and professional guidance.
“These decisions have not been underestimated,” the university's president, Santa J. Ono, and other senior officials, wrote in their letter. “We recognize that change is important and challenges many of us, especially those who are dedicated to programs that are enriched by current programs and are currently being pivoted.”
School leaders have been discussing whether and how they will overhaul Michigan's DEI program since last spring. The Regent Committee signaled that change was likely to occur in December, claiming that the school's vast DEI efforts failed to make it more diverse or inclusive.
But Thursday's announcement comes at a more rechargeable moment as the Trump administration holds an all-out war on what is considered a DEI in both the public and private sectors. Operating through executive orders and administrative measures, and often under the ambiguous and broad definition of DEI – President Trump aims to a set of policies and programs in higher education, framing them as part of a harmful and illegal corruption system of racial minorities.
Last month, the Education Department warned the university that it viewed racial considerations for student employment and services, such as scholarships, housing and even graduation ceremonies, as violations of federal law.
At the same time, the Trump administration cites well-known anti-Israel protests, including Columbia University, threatening the loss of federal grants under laws requiring schools receiving federal funds to work to prevent discrimination by race, ethnicity and religion. Michigan faced similar controversy before Trump was elected. The campus protests at Anne Arbor exploded after Hamas' attack in Israel.
The university has been trying to navigate the intense pressure from Washington due to growing dissatisfaction among students and faculty. Many are urging school leaders to fight back against Trump's policies and resist the administration's efforts to completely dismantle the DEI. All over the country, some schools have closed their DEI programs and scrub their websites. Others have rebranded them in the hopes of avoiding closer scrutiny.
Thursday's announcement hinted at the pressure, citing some of Trump's executive orders and recent court rulings in favor of them. However, school officials also pointed to complaints from some students and faculty members. They felt it was not included in the DEI initiative and claimed that programming was “lack in fostering connections between diverse groups.” In December, Michigan fired a senior DEI manager over accusations that she had made anti-Semitic comments.
Even before Trump took office, other Michigan students and faculty members began lobbying to preserve existing DEI programs. Thousands have signed a petition this winter that proved what was deemed a positive impact of Michigan's DEI efforts. Many said they agreed to the broader goals of the DEI program. Some black students argue that it should be strengthened with an emphasis on the experiences of racial minorities on campus.
But as Trump's inauguration approached, the University of Literature, Science and Arts quietly paused the Dei planning process and avoided drawing more attention from the next administration, according to an email shared with Michigan's largest academic unit, the New York Times. In February, DEI officials from Michigan distributed talk points highlighting the program reshaping its program as an engine for economic growth for the state, consuming a small portion of the university's overall budget.
Michigan regent Jordan Acker said in a statement that Thursday's announcement was to make the school's DEI program work more effectively, not to dismantle it in the face of external criticism.
“The focus of our diversity efforts should be on meaningful change, not bureaucracy,” Acker said.
School officials can face intense pushbacks from some students and teachers. The head of faculty senator Rebekah Modrak, who was called the “emergency meeting” for faculty, students and staff on Friday, when the words of the decision began to spread throughout campus on Thursday. In an email to her colleague, Modrak said the university leader “apparently determined to comply and cooperate with us in our own destruction.”
Michigan's current DEI program (one of the largest of the US major public universities) began in 2016 amid concerns that the schools were unable to attract and maintain enough Black students and faculty. Since then, according to a study published by Times Magazine in October, Michigan has spent about $400 million on a wide range of DEI initiatives aimed at improving both economic and racial diversity.
The majority of that money went to the salaries and benefits of DEI staff across the university's three campuses, according to internal accounting created by the DEI office in Michigan last year.
However, during roughly the same period, the proportion of black students on campus did not change substantially. The survey also reported that students reported a more positive campus climate than at the start of the program and less sense of belonging.
Some students and faculty complained that the school's critical emphasis on DEIs cooled the intellectual environment on campus and led academic work to focus too much on issues of identity and oppression. According to one report created by the Michigan DEI Office in 2023, nearly half of the school's undergraduate courses included what the office deemed “DEI content,” including exploring race, ethnic or religious identity.
