The University of Michigan (UM) will hire at least 20 tenure-track faculty – versed in academic work on structural racism and racial inequality – over the next three years as part of its new anti-racism initiative.
For this anti-racism initiative, the Provost’s Office will be partnering with the school’s National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) and the Office of Research.
“Recent events in our nation highlight the need for all, including the University of Michigan, to do more to dismantle institutionalized racism and racial injustice in our society,” Dr. Tabbye Chavous, UM director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity, associate vice president for research and professor of education and psychology, wrote in an email.
“The initiative is also responsive to prior commitments from our university leadership, including Provost Collins and President Schlissel, and input from faculty, students, and staff who have called for concrete actions to address racism, including hiring more faculty pursuing scholarship and social action focused on fighting systemic racism and injustice, and increasing cross-campus expertise and capacity in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Funding responsibilities for the hiring initiative will be shared between the Provost’s Office and the hiring departments.
Collins said the decision to hire 20 new faculty shows that anti-racism is a priority UM is dedicating resources to. And, depending on other initiatives in the works, the number of total hires may actually rise.
