University of Michigan eliminates DEI statements as part of faculty hiring, promotion
(CBS DETROIT) — The University of Michigan will no longer ask for diversity statements as part of its hiring process and when considering promotion and tenure.
University Provost Laurie McCauley announced the decision Thursday following the recommendation of an eight-member faculty working group.
"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," McCauley said in the University Record, the school's faculty and staff publication. "As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.
"I'm grateful for this faculty committee, which spent months soliciting feedback from across campus, evaluating our methods and determining the best course forward."
In June, McCauley tasked that group with examining the use of diversity statements in the faculty hiring and promotion process at Michigan and other academic institutions and making a recommendation based on their findings.
According to the university, that group considered policies of other universities, reviewed published reports and surveyed nearly 2,000 faculty.
The university says most faculty surveyed believe diversity statements "put pressure on faculty to express specific positions on moral, political or social issues" and that a slim majority disagreed that these statements "allow an institution to demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion by cultivating DEI" among faculty members.
"Critics of diversity statements perceive them as expressions of personal identity traits, support of specific ideology or opinions on socially-relevant issues, and serve as a 'litmus test' of whether a faculty member's views are politically acceptable," the review group wrote a report. "Thus, as currently enacted, diversity statements have the potential to limit viewpoints and reduce diversity of thought among faculty members."
The work group also said diversity statements can be useful when considering the ability of job applicants or faculty members to contribute to the school's mission.
"I think they're not genuine and I think this is the first step in a series of events that the university is falling victim to as a result of national intention to attack DEI with the new Trump administration coming in," said Princess-J'Maria Mboup, Michigan's Black Student Union speaker.
While the eight-member group recommended the university incorporate content about DEI into teaching, research and service statements as well as training on how to write and evaluate that content, the school did not adopt those recommendations.
CBS News Detroit reached out to McCauley's office for comment and is waiting to hear back.
