Public university may get rid of ideological ‘litmus tests’ for faculty, Regent Sarah Hubbard says
The University of Michigan Board of Regents will consider cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices and programming after its DEI efforts have faced intense “scrutiny,” Regent Sarah Hubbard said Sunday.
Hubbard (pictured) told Fox & Friends the board plans to take a “critical look” at its DEI spending and programs during its meeting Thursday.
“I’ve been asking a lot of questions since I was first elected to this board, and really believe we need to do something differently here,” she said.
One of the changes the regents plan to consider is “getting rid of diversity statements, which are a litmus tests for our faculty and academics when they’re applying for jobs and being considered for a promotion,” Hubbard said.
“These diversity statements require them to talk about what they’ve done for DEI lately and what they plan to do,” and they “really limit” programs, she said.
The public university is facing growing criticism for spending approximately $250 million since 2016 to integrate DEI practices throughout the institution. These efforts include a DEI manager for its botanical garden and a hip-hop performance for its DEI 2.0 launch, The College Fix has reported.
Despite the emphasis and spending on DEI, Hubbard said the university has not seen “the needle moving related to diversity of thought in particular on campus, let alone diversity in other ways.”
“When I think about what we could have done with that money, how many students we could have covered their tuition because they had need … I wish we could look at these things,” she said.
Hubbard also expressed concerns about the university’s “very large bureaucracy.”
Research published exclusively by The College Fix earlier this year by economist Mark Perry found the University of Michigan has more than 500 employees focused on DEI, with payroll costs exceeding $30 million annually.
“Lately the scrutiny has just really increased, and we’ve had a number of other issues related on campus to protests and other upheaval and it’s given us a chance to take closer scrutiny of this,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard told Fox & Friends she supports programs that are “good for everybody” – a statement she reiterated in an X post Sunday.
Hey look who was on @foxandfriends this morning! #Regenting #Diversity #DEI
To be clear, I fully support the Go Blue Guarantee and will continue to work toward expanding it to make @UMich affordable and accessible to all who need help. https://t.co/9XDfhoQr6o
— Sarah Hubbard, Regent @umich (@RegentHubbard) December 1, 2024
In 2023, the university launched a five-year effort to integrate DEI into every aspect of the institution, including “de-emphasizing singular Western historical narratives” in an architecture program,” The Fix reported.
MORE: UMich botanical garden employs DEI manager
MORE: UMich now has more than 500 jobs dedicated to DEI
IMAGE: Fox & Friends/X
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