ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The University of Michigan, a bastion of progressive values for decades, is closing its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

University President Santa Ono announced the decision in a statement published on the school’s website.

“The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI) will close,” the school said in a statement signed by Ono, Provost Laurie McCauley, Marschall Runge the executive vice president of medical affairs and executive vice president Geoffrey Chatas. “Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity.”

The statement continued, “We remain committed to fostering an environment that values and supports every member of our community and honors diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.”

The change came after President Donald Trump’s executive orders which pushed back against nationwide DEI efforts and threatened funding cuts to those institutions that did not comply. Trump has shifted the focus from DEI to individual qualifications rather than race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual identity.

Michigan has invested heavily in DEI in recent years.

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