What to Know About the University of Michigans D.E.I. Experiment

A decade ago, the University of Michigan intentionally placed itself in the vanguard of a revolution then beginning to reshape American higher education.Around the country, college administrators were rapidly expanding D.E.I.

programs.They believed that vigorous D.E.I.

efforts would allow traditionally underrepresented students to thrive on campus — and improve learning for students from all backgrounds.In recent years, as D.E.I.programs came under withering attack, Michigan has only doubled down on D.E.I., holding itself out as a model for other schools.

By one estimate, the university has built the largest D.E.I.bureaucracy of any big public university.But an examination by The Times found that Michigan’s expansive — and expensive — D.E.I.

program has struggled to achieve its central goals even as it set off a cascade of unintended consequences.Here are some key takeaways from the Magazine’s article on Michigan’s D.E.I.

experiment.Michigan has poured a staggering quarter of a billion dollars into D.E.I.Striving to reach “every individual on campus,” Michigan has invested nearly 250 million dollars into D.E.I.since 2016, according to an internal presentation I obtained.

Every university “unit” — from the medical school down to the archives — is required to have a D.E.I.plan.The number of employees who work in D.E.I.-related offices or have “diversity,” “equity” or “inclusion” in their job titles reached 241 last year, according to an analysis by Mark J.

Perry, an emeritus professor of finance at the university’s Flint campus.Michigan has struggled to improve Black enrollment — and students overall feel less included, not more.The percentage of Black students, currently around 5 percent, remained largely stagnant as Michigan’s overall enrollment rose — and in a state where 14 percent of residents are Black.In a survey released in late 2022, students and faculty members across the board reported a less positive cam...