Michigan State officials: University leaders must comply with federal DEI ban
The directive comes as multiple government agencies are looking into MSU's diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs, according to a Tuesday email to university leaders from the school's General Counsel Brian Quinn and interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko.
President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order terminating 'diversity, equity, and inclusion" for organizations that receive federal funding, and added that universities with endowments larger than $1 billion - in Michigan that's MSU and the University of Michigan - could be investigated for their DEI programs and policies.
Noncompliance with the executive order could mean MSU would lose hundreds of millions of dollars from federal grants and contracts. In 2024, the university received $528 million from the federal government, a significant amount supporting research at the institution, the 2024 Annual Financial Report shows. MSU's endowment is $4.4 billion, according to an October 2024 release from the university.
The emails to university leaders came days after a "Dear Colleague" letter from Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights. In the letter, Trainor said educators, from preschool to grad school, could lose federal funding if their diversity efforts take account of a student's race, even indirectly.
"The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent," Trainor wrote.
Despite the email from Quinn and Jeitschko saying pre-existing federal and state laws prohibit MSU from "discriminating against or granting preferential treatment based on protected identities," the email asked university leaders to "review programs and activities under your purview to confirm compliance with anti-discrimination laws and MSU's existing policy."
Within the university's colleges and units, the email said, university leaders must ensure that membership and participation in programs or activities are not restricted based on a protected identity, preference is not given based on a protected identity and no support or promotion is given to "external programs, scholarships, awards, or other opportunities that are restricted based on a protected identity."
Additionally, the email said, if the name of a program, activity, group, scholarship, award, or other opportunity is linked to a protected identity, all materials must make clear that all are welcome and shall receive equal opportunity to participate or apply.
MSU has projected a more confident tone in public statements. In a late January communication to the MSU community, MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said "full participation of all lived experiences and perspectives is essential in being able to deliver on our core missions. On Tuesday, university spokesperson Amber McCann told the State Journal the university was in full compliance with all state and federal anti-discrimination law.
It's not clear how far-reaching the guidance is. Multiple university student organizations have the name of a racial or ethnic group in them, like the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. The university also hosts several graduation ceremonies for students of specific racial backgrounds, like the MSU Black Celebratory ceremony.
Additionally, the newly opened Multicultural Center has rooms specifically reserved for student organizations geared toward students of a protected racial identity.
McCann did not respond to questions from the State Journal on Wednesday.
MSU officials late last month canceled a Chinese Lunar New Year luncheon in the same week Trump issued his order, but later apologized, calling their decision an overreaction, Bridge Michigan reported.
MSU has made a major commitment to DEI. Its 2030 Strategic Plan states the university is striving to be "a national leader in increasing diversity, promoting inclusion, ensuring equity and eliminating disparities on our campus and beyond."
Earlier this month, MSU officially opened its long-awaited $38 million multicultural center.
In the "Dear Colleague" letter, Trainor wrote that "American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families."
The letter was sent to notify educators of the department's current interpretation of federal law and said that legal guidance would be forthcoming. The department plans to assess compliance within 14 days, Trainor wrote.
MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar Bennett declined an interview with the State Journal late last month, through McCann. McCann said at the the time Bennett would be available in the future "once the university has had time to thoroughly review changes coming as part of the new administration."
Three hours after Tuesday's initial email to MSU leaders, Jeitschko followed up with another.
"I want to reassure you that MSU remains committed to our founding mission, and to our core values," Jeitschko said. "I also want to acknowledge the concerns and uncertainty that members of our campus community may be experiencing related to programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion."
Jeitschko said that if department heads, chairs or deans had not received specific guidance to "discontinue or alter" work, MSU was not telling them to do so now.
In the future, Jeitschko said, the university would hold "virtual town hall meetings" with university senior leadership. The meetings would be open to the entire MSU community, he said.
Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com. Follow her on X @sarahmatwood.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State to review programs for discrimination under DEI ban
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