“Once considered a useful tool to help colleges and universities assess a job applicant’s contributions to DEI, diversity statements are now on life support as increasingly universities and colleges are succumbing to political pressures and no longer requiring them as part of their hiring process.”
Of all the challenges facing higher education, the issue that is dominating the headlines is the so-called “threat” of diversity statements. Once considered a useful tool to help colleges and universities assess a job applicant’s contributions to DEI, diversity statements are now on life support as increasingly universities and colleges are succumbing to political pressures and no longer requiring them as part of their hiring process.
Several universities have eliminated diversity statements. And, notably, no anti-DEI legislation has been proposed in Michigan yet, and diversity statements are still allowed (for the time being).
The University of Michigan has been a model for how institutions can be academically excellent and effectively implement DEI policies and practices like diversity statements. However, political pressures are growing for the discontinuation of diversity statements. A member of the UM Board of Regents suggested the possibility of banning diversity statements in hiring. The discontinuation of diversity statements at UM would send a chilling message throughout higher education.
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