Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Eight university presidents -- some of them prominent -- have joined with leaders in national security and foreign policy to issue a joint call for the next U.S. president to embrace diversity, diplomacy and globalism. "The undersigned individuals … believe the United States is stronger and safer when we recognize that we are a part of an interconnected, interdependent global community. Collectively, we urge the next president to pursue policies and practices that embrace the diversity within and outside our borders and that build on our ability to communicate with allies and foes alike," says the statement, which was organized by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. (The list of presidents is below.)

The University of Michigan will invest $85 million over the next five years to increase diversity among its students and staff, the school's president announced two days after hundreds of its staff attended a rally against a series of racially-charged fliers discovered on the campus in Ann Arbor. The programs are part of a five-year strategic plan President Mark Schlissel unveiled at a summit Thursday. They include a program for incoming freshmen with diverse cultural backgrounds and other differences, a training program on inclusiveness for all new faculty, and more outreach programs to increase and maintain diversity among students and staff, according to the Detroit Free Press. The university has already started two enrichment and scholarship programs within the past year for high-achieving African-American students and students from low-income families, said Dr. Schlissel.