The University of Michigan (UM) on Thursday ended its requirement for diversity statements for faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure.
Provost Laurie McCauley’s decision came from recommendations from an “eight-member faculty working group,” which she tasked to “explore the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring and promotion at U-M and elsewhere, and to make a recommendation.”
The eight-member faculty working group who recommended the end of the use of diversity statements consisted of “individuals with relevant expertise.”
“Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) 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. “As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.”
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The University of Michigan is ending its requirement for diversity statements for their faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
The university said that diversity statements “have been criticized for their potential to limit freedom of expression and diversity of thought on campus.”
Separately, the University of Michigan Board of Regents, which has a 6-2 Democratic majority, has also had discussions about the future of the bureaucracy associated with DEI initiatives at the university.
Sarah Hubbard, a member of the board, told “Fox & Friends” on Sunday that they have been taking a “critical look” at the university’s DEI programs and spending.
“We’re not really seeing the needle moving related to diversity of thought, in particular, on campus, let alone diversity in other ways. I have been asking a lot of questions since I was first elected to this board,” Hubbard said.
UM has reportedly spent at least $250 million on DEI since 2016, per the New York Times, which has been deeply investigating DEI operations at the university, The Times added that 56% of that amount “went to salaries and benefits for D.E.I. staff across the university’s three campuses, according to an internal review conducted last spring by Michigan’s central D.E.I. office.”
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The eight-member faculty working group who recommended the end of the use of diversity statements consisted of “individuals with relevant expertise.” (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Another member of UM’s board of regents, Mark Bernstein, told the Times that the money used for DEI could be used for the students.
“It is my hope that our efforts in D.E.I. focus on redirecting funding directly to students and away from a bloated administrative bureaucracy,” Benstein said.
The Times reported further that the board of regents “look to shift more of Michigan’s overall D.E.I. budget into recruitment programs and tuition guarantees for lower-income students.”
The board is a governing body elected by Michigan voters to manage UM’s finances and overall operations of the institution.
DEI on UM’s campus has been viewed as a failure by Black students.
One student called UM’s diversity efforts “superficial” and, despite the institution’s programs, they betrayed “a general discomfort with naming Blackness explicitly.”
Princess-J’Maria Mboup, the speaker of the university’s Black Student Union, told the Times that “the students that are most affected by D.E.I. — meaning marginalized communities — are invested in the work, but not in D.E.I. itself.”
View of Michigan logo on wall before game at Michigan Stadium. (Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The Times also cited UM’s own data reflecting that the institution’s pursuit of DEI resulted in a less inclusive environment via a survey in 2022. The Times reported that the data showed “students and faculty members reported a less positive campus climate than at the program’s start and less of a sense of belonging.”
University of Michigan officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Recreation held its Partnership for the Arts and Humanities Showcase Friday at North Division High School, bringing together students and community organizations to celebrate arts education in Milwaukee.
The event featured performances, visual art, and cultural programming from a range of partner organizations that work with Milwaukee students before and after school, on weekends, and during the summer.
Ariana Holmes, a recreation supervisor with Milwaukee Recreation, said the showcase highlights the breadth of arts and humanities programming available to young people across the city.
Watch: Milwaukee Recreation hosts youth arts and humanities showcase
Youth Arts and Humanities showcase underway
“This is one of our programs out of many, many at Milwaukee Recreation, but it centers a celebration of arts and humanities in our before and after school programming,” Holmes said. “All of the partners that you see here today, they run programs with Milwaukee students after school, on the weekends, during the summer, making sure that every kid in Milwaukee has access to really wonderful arts and humanities education.”
Organizations represented at the event included Bembe Drum and Dance, Woodland Pattern, All Hands Boat Works, and Running Rebels, among others.
“We have such a wonderful range that really celebrates the diversity that is the arts and humanities,” Holmes said. “We have Bembe Drum and Dance, they’re drumming for us and dancing on stage right now. We have Woodland Pattern, who does poetry with young people in Milwaukee. We have organizations that help build boats with young people, All Hands Boat Works, really just an incredible range.”
Students can sign up for the programs through Milwaukee Recreation, which connects them with partner organizations that run programming both in schools and at their own locations. Holmes said an arts internship for high schoolers is planned for the summer.
“This summer, we’ll be doing an arts internship for older kids, high schoolers to be engaged in arts, so it really is just like a really wonderful diversity of experiences,” Holmes said.
Information about Milwaukee Recreation programs is available through the organization’s printed guides, which are mailed to Milwaukee residents. Residents are encouraged to pick up the guides and explore opportunities for their children to get involved.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Quincy Street isn’t just at the center of Art-A-Whirl, it’s at the heart of the Arts District in northeast Minneapolis. The road itself, however, is falling apart. And the only thing bumpier than the exposed brick is the reaction to the city’s plans to fix it.
“It’s known as like the most quirky, cobblestoney, potholey street,” said Kristin Olson, owner of Studio Q.
She and others working along the street have come to appreciate its crumbling characteristics. It forces cars to drive slowly, which is helpful given the amount of foot traffic in the area.
It’s also the very reason city leaders want to remake it.
Recent project renderings include adding sidewalks and trails to improve accessibility. Putting in a new road will help fix drainage issues. The city even wants to use bricks instead of asphalt to retain the area’s image.
“Totally hear that and understand it and we also want that, but the rest of the street is working as is,” said Olson.
Her studio has three private parking spots that her clients rely on.
The road project would convert private parking along Quincy Street into public parking, a major sticking point for artists needing direct access to their vehicles outside their studios.
“We save those for people who have mobility needs or people who are bringing in a lot of equipment,” said Olson.
Many of her clients have multiple vehicles for photoshoots at her studio.
“If we as a studio don’t have access to these three spots for our teams, those clients are going somewhere else,” she said.
The fight to keep Quincy Street’s character has been going on for a few years, with the pushback ramping up as the 2027 construction date nears. The latest renderings include loading zones for the businesses along the street, but artists like Charlie Haumersen don’t feel it’s enough.
“Just having access to the building is really important,” Haumerson said.
He, and many of the tenants on the block, also worry the city’s desire for change will have ramifications beyond just the road.
“We think of it as sort of a form of cultural erasure. Even though we’re just building a street, it might pave the way artists to have to leave,” he said.
Olson is hopeful that the city will slow down its plans and continue to come up with solutions that find a middle ground with the neighbors. It’s unclear if the city plans to make further changes to its latest redesign.
Tonight, on Beyond the Bricks with Jake Query and Mike Thomsen, they look back at the 1972 Indy 500, featuring record speeds and Jim Malloy.
In the second segment, they continue to look back at the 1972 Indy 500 with the Mystery Eagle and the misfortunes of Wally Dallenbach.
Then to wrap up another edition of the show, they continue to look back at the 1972 Indy 500 with Mark Donohue taking the win.
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