The University of Michigan will no longer require diversity statements for faculty hiring, promotion or tenure, Provost Lauria McCauley announced Thursday.
The decision comes after a recommendation from a faculty working group that called on the university to end the use of diversity statements, citing criticisms for “their potential to limit freedom of expression and diversity of thought on campus,” the press release reads.
“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 release. “As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.”
She added that she was “grateful” for the working group’s feedback.
The announcement comes amid a report from The New York Times that the university has been considering a new approach to its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program, bracing for President-elect Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Trump has threatened multiple times to take away funding from schools if they do not align with his views on subjects such as DEI and transgender rights.
The Times also reported that some of the university’s regents have signaled they are likely to seek cuts to the school’s DEI bureaucracy to offset the expansion.
Other schools, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, have also done away with diversity statements as part of the hiring process.
The news follows a Supreme Court decision last year that limited the use of race as a factor in admissions, upending decades of affirmative action programs used by U.S. institutions.
