After spending significant dollars in DEI efforts, the University of Michigan has closed two offices tied to equity and inclusion.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the public research university has spent nearly $250 million on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in recent years. However, the university has now decided to dismantle its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI).”
“Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity,” the school said in a statement on its website, according to the outlet.
The statement also read: “The DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the umbrella strategy for schools, colleges and units, will be discontinued, along with DEI 2.0 unit plans, related programming, progress reporting, training and funding. Individual leads, who have supported DEI efforts in schools, colleges and units, will refocus their full effort on their core responsibilities.”
The University of Michigan’s decision comes at a time when many institutions are boldly retracting their DEI commitments to align with the Trump administration, which seeks to dismantle such programs, offices, and initiatives at the federal level. Trump has signed several executive orders tied to this goal. In March 2025, he also issued a two-week deadline for schools and universities to end their DEI policies or risk losing federal funding, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
University Provost Laurie McCauley confirms Trump’s federal orders have played a role in the school’s decision, telling staffers it “comes in a climate shaped by recent federal executive orders, legal decisions, and guidance that have intensified scrutiny of DEI programming across higher education.”
Rebekah Modrak, chair of the Faculty Senate as well as a professor of art and design, said in an email:
“The federal government is determined to dismantle and control higher education and to make our institutions more uniform, more inequitable, and more exclusive. They are using the power of the government to engineer a sweeping culture change towards white supremacy. Unfortunately, University of Michigan leaders seem determined to comply and to collaborate in our own destruction.”
The University of Michigan still maintains its interest in moving toward a more diverse campus. Currently, and over many years, the number of Black students at the campus is still slim. At its highest, 9.3% of students enrolled were Black and this dates back to 1996.
The school has created some programs, which it plans on continuing. This includes the “Go Blue Guarantee” program created to ensure in-state students from households making less than $125,000 can receive free tuition. Additionally, its Blavins Scholars program was expanded and provides mentors and coaches to students in foster or kinship care or those who don’t have support from parents or guardians.
“Over the past several years, the university has spent $250 million on diversity efforts, but yet the population of minority students at U-M has grown little — and a disproportionate amount we’ve devoted to these efforts have gone into administrative overhead, not outreach to students,” Regent Jordan Acker said in a statement. “At Michigan, the focus of our diversity efforts needs to be meaningful change, not bureaucracy.”
Regent Sarah Hubbard shared on X, formerly Twitter:
“We are eliminating bureaucratic overspending and making Michigan more accessible. Ending DEI programs will also allow us to better expand diversity of thought and free speech on our campus.”
