OAN Staff James Meyers
12:41 PM – Friday, March 28, 2025
Top officials at the University of Michigan have announced that the school will be closing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office.
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The president of the university and other top leaders issued a statement on the matter. They explained that due to the recent executive orders from President Donald Trump, as well as funding cuts, they will be closing the “progressive” DEI office as a whole.
“These decisions have not been made lightly,” the announcement from top university officials reads. “We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting.”
“Conversations about these institutional efforts have been ongoing since at least 2023 and, with recent federal executive orders, guidance and funding cuts bringing urgency to the issue, we are moving forward with changes that will impact our community at the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine,” they added.
Additionally, the university will also be closing their “Office for Health Equity and Inclusion,” and they will discontinue its DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan — according to the release. The move follows the university’s decision last year to no longer require diversity statements for faculty hiring, promotion, or tenure.
In a landmark 2023 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that race can no longer be the same determining factor in college admissions as it was previously. Republicans have long criticized affirmative action as being inherently discriminatory, arguing that it had unfairly advantaged “students of color” over White and Asian applicants, which includes Indian students.
According to college admissions insiders who previously spoke to the press, students of color were often admitted with much lower high school GPAs, SAT or ACT scores, and less compelling application essays — compared to their White and Asian peers.
The New York Times reported that the University of Michigan had spent close to $250 million on DEI efforts through last fall, and a report from The Heritage Foundation found the institution had 163 DEI personnel.
The DEI closure comes as federal funding for schools has been under heavy scrutiny by Trump.
In February, the Department of Education Office (DOE) for Civil Rights sent a letter to departments of education in every state, telling them to remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding.
Furthermore, a “frequently asked questions” page on the school’s DEI changes specified that services for students that were part of their DEI office “will shift to other offices, which will continue to support access and opportunity.” Staff tasked with implementing DEI are directed to “refocus their full effort on their core responsibilities.”
In the memo, the school also said it will focus on investments for students, including increasing financial aid, “Enhancing mental health support,” as well as “Celebrating cultural and ethnic programs,” and working to support academics and scholarships.
In 2021, the Heritage Foundation reported that the University of Michigan had the most college DEI employees out of the entire country, with 163 people on staff.
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