“It’s important not to reject demands out of hand, no matter how ridiculous they may seem,” said Michael A. Middleton, interim president of the University of Missouri System.
“Talk to them with an attitude of, ‘I would really love to achieve what you are seeking, but there are tradeoffs here,’” Middleton said. “Have them come into your office and go through what you go through with your staff on a variety of issues to achieve a balance.”
Middleton, who assumed his interim post after Black UM students prompted both System President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin to step down last fall, said he doesn’t consider such an approach to be a matter of “giving in” to protesters.
“I don’t call it ‘giving in,’” Middleton said. “I call it responding to the needs of students.’”
Middleton made his remarks Tuesday at a national conference of Association of Governing Boards, or AGB, during a panel on how to make a more inclusive campus community.
His advice comes at a time when many college campuses—including and beyond Missouri—have found themselves engulfed in student protests and confronted with simmering concerns about how students from diverse groups are treated on campus and how welcome or unwelcome they are in the world of academe.
