A scholarship program helped boost diversity at U of M. Trump’s DEI crackdown just killed it.
The University of Michigan Alumni Association has ended the LEAD Scholars program, a merit-based scholarship that worked to improve enrollment for minority students.
UPDATED March 27, 4:28 p.m. ET: The University of Michigan is shuttering two diversity offices and ending a groundbreaking initiative focusing on DEI, the institution announced Thursday.
Imani* was in class when she received a text from her roommate that the scholarship program they had both relied on throughout their entire collegiate careers had been discontinued.
“The text read, ‘They ended the LEAD Scholars program. They just sent me an email. I am literally about to lose my mind,’ explained Imani, a junior at the University of Michigan. “That’s what my roommate said. My heart dropped.”
Up until last week, Imani and her roommate were LEAD Scholars, undergraduates who received a merit-based scholarship that worked to improve enrollment for underrepresented students. The program also provided students with mentorship opportunities and community programming.
The University of Michigan Alumni Association abruptly shuttered the program on March 20th, alarming students and alumni.
“One of the first things I did after class was I called my dad. My dad said, ‘You're gonna finish what you started. You're going to graduate, we're going to figure it out,’” said Imani, who now has to scramble to figure out how she will pay for senior year of college. “I don’t come from wealth. I was born and raised in Detroit. Ending the program puts a burden on individuals who don't have it like most of the wealthy people here at U of M.”
“We're just … everyone's distraught and trying to figure out how they're going to replace the scholarship money they lost,” she continued, mentioning the added stress this debacle has placed on students as final exams near. “It’s very unfortunate.”
LEAD Scholars received need-based scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 per year. To be considered eligible, students needed to have been admitted to the university, come with letters of recommendation, and have a 3.5 or higher grade point average.
“We earned our scholarships,” Imani said. “We are very bright, high-achieving students who received them off of merit. It’s not specifically just a ‘DEI scholarship.’”
The decision to discontinue the LEAD Scholars program comes as President Donald Trump continues his assault on diversity, equity and inclusion policies at colleges and universities nationwide. The University of Michigan is currently being investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for “allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
“This decision is necessary to comply with all applicable laws,” Rob Clendening, the alumni association’s vice president for marketing and communications, told What I’m Reading in a statement. “As a result, all LEAD Scholars program activity is being discontinued, though this decision does not impact payments already made to students for this academic year.”
The program was established in 2008 in response to the state’s Proposal 2 banning race-conscious college admissions policies and the university’s declining Black population. Since its inception, it has supported nearly 900 students, and Clendening said the alumni association will help connect current LEAD scholars to other financial resources.
Related: A new ‘Red Scare’ at the University of Michigan
However, as an independent nonprofit organization, it was not immediately clear why the alumni association chose to discontinue the LEAD Scholars program.
“I had a conversation with a faculty member who made me realize that [the alumni association] didn't have to make this decision, and they most likely did it out of fear of what's happening in Washington,” Imani said. “It seems like they’re doing it preemptively.”
“It does seem like they’re jumping the gun a bit,” said a University of Michigan staff member who asked to not be identified. “Michigan itself hasn't rolled back any DEI programming. I think [the university] is evaluating things, which is one thing. But this feels more like a cowering kind of thing [from the alumni association], because they’re afraid of pushback, I guess.”
“It feels like this is just the first domino to fall. The alumni association is not the university proper, so it feels like someone said ‘let’s see what happens if we get rid of this program? What is the reaction? How will it go over?’ And then, what else will they do?” the staff member continued.
Clendening declined to comment.
Azia Harris-Martin was devastated to learn about the decision to end LEAD Scholars.
“When you lose a program like LEAD, you not only lose the diversity, but you lose the support structure for students that often fall through the cracks,” said Harris-Martin, a Ph.D. candidate at the university from Detroit. “These are students who don’t have generations of Michigan Wolverines in their family. We're losing a lot of that support and community for students.”
Harris-Martin received the LEAD scholarship during her time as an undergraduate, which fully covered her tuition. She credited the alumni association staff with providing a sense of community and the skills she still uses as she pursues her doctorate. Shortly after the news broke, she penned a love letter to the program on social media.
“Michigan loves saying we are the Leaders and the Best,” said Harris-Martin, referencing the university’s famous praise. “But in this situation, it feels like we’re being followers. We aren’t standing up for the students. We aren’t standing up for knowledge. We aren’t standing up for our teachers.”
“What makes me more nervous is that this program was supported by an independent agency that was related to Michigan. So what else is next?”
*This name has been changed to protect the student from future retaliation as she pursues financial support.
If any of the impacted students are reading this, my fellow alumni and I would love to contribute directly to you.
9 times out of ten with stories like this, it shows that the decisions made here our based out of fear of reprisal from the government and not actually reasonable thought process. And making decisions based off of fear of government censure sure doesn't sound like a democracy.