Anti-racism initiatives, including George Floyd scholarship, coming to University of Michigan

University of Michigan

University of Michigan graduating seniors Ashley Kiemen, of Minnesota, and Andy Kenety, of Birmingham, take a break as they relax in a hammock near the Cube on campus on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor NewsANN ARBOR NEWS

ANN ARBOR, MI — Several new anti-racism initiatives will join enhancements to a number of existing programs to advance the University of Michigan’s commitment to its diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan, officials said.

Some of the new and updated anti-racism initiatives include:

  • Creating a task force on policing and public safety for the Ann Arbor campus.
  • Hiring at least 20 new full-time faculty members in the next three years with scholarly expertise in racial inequality and structural racism.
  • Expanding resources and infrastructure to support new and current UM scholars working in the area of anti-racism.
  • Re-evaluating race and ethnicity curriculum requirements across the university’s 19 schools and colleges.
  • Strengthening faculty and staff professional development opportunities related to anti-racism.
  • Incorporating ways to address structural racism in the university’s Democracy & Debate Theme Semester.
  • Creating a task force to develop a community-engaged process for diversifying the names considered for campus spaces, facilities and streets.

With help from alumnus Marchell Willian, UM also is establishing the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship, officials said. Willian gave the lead endowment to establish the scholarship fund, which will give preference to students who have participated in Wolverine Pathways — the college-readiness program that serves students from Detroit, Southfield and Ypsilanti school districts — and who have demonstrated a commitment to bettering their communities.

Several other institutions across the U.S., including the University of Minnesota and Missouri State University, have established scholarships recognizing Floyd, who was killed after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck while being arrested.

“At (UM), we have a long history of offering programs and activities designed to advance our core values of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Provost Susan M. Collins said in a statement. “The initiatives we are adding will build on the extensive and ongoing work all across our campus.”

The university is developing a task force for the campus community to better understand the status of policing and safety on the Ann Arbor campus, officials said. The group will identify existing problems, determine areas of need and generate actionable recommendations, according to a news release.

University deans have laid the groundwork to hire at least 20 new faculty members to focus on anti-racism and racial justice, the release states. Units across campus will also launch initiatives to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as well as race and ethnicity requirements in the classroom, officials said.

Some individual schools and colleges require students to complete courses related to race and ethnicity to graduate, but the requirement is not universal at UM, the release states.

A new task force will is being created to increase community input and diversity for the naming of campus buildings and other spaces on campus, according to the release. While building naming decisions rest with the board of regents, the task force will be charged with piloting a process that more effectively develops a diverse pool of potential names for campus spaces, per the release.

“The passion and enthusiasm we’ve seen throughout the UM community as we move the university toward a brighter, more inclusive future is exciting,” Collins said. “There is more to be done but we know the impact of our work will contribute to a more equitable and just world.”

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