Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Our commitment

Our commitment to the public good is inseparable from our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value community, integrity, respect, service, inclusion, diversity, and equity. We aspire for our work to be excellent, relevant, rigorous, collaborative, engaged, and impactful.

Diversity. We commit to increasing diversity, which is expressed in myriad forms, including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, (dis)ability status, and political perspective.

Equity. We commit to working actively to challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status.

Inclusion. We commit to pursuing deliberate efforts to ensure that our campus is a place where differences are welcomed, different perspectives are respectfully heard and where every individual feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. We know that by building a critical mass of diverse groups on campus and creating a vibrant climate of inclusiveness, we can more effectively leverage the resources of diversity to advance our collective capabilities.
 

At the Ford School, we feel strongly that this important work can't be done in isolation, by a single point person or group. Instead, we've structured our inclusion initiatives to be integrated throughout all we do, and to be a collective responsibility of faculty, staff, and students. We're making progress because we've got a strong commitment from people throughout the Ford School community."

Susan Guindi, director of Student & Academic Services and DEI co-lead

Learn more about the DEI Coalition.

2022-2023

The Ford School is moving forward

Here at the Ford School, we're evaluating and learning from our first 5-year strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion and at the same time, we're keeping this important work moving forward, infused in everything we do. 

Learn more about the 6 priorities we're focused on during this interim period.
Learn more
Illustration of roadways, with the Ford School logo and text that says "Building our on-ramp to DEI 2.0"
The global economy requires unprecedented grasp of diverse viewpoints and cultural traditions.

Gerald R. Ford

38th President of the United States

Diversity and the study and practice of public policy

As a discipline, public policy occupies a unique place within society. If we aim to prepare diverse leaders to take on our communities' and our world's most pressing challenges and conduct transformational research, we must do better at explicitly examining the forces at work that create systemic and structural inequalities. 

    As part of our commitment to engage more deeply with our mission and core values, this includes but is not limited to exploring the role of policy history and its lasting implications, more fully contextualizing interpretations of research findings, reexamining data sources and analytic methods, and communicating these findings to intended audiences.

    Attention to and respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion:

    • requires us to think critically and analytically about how public policies may affect people differently—including how these effects might vary depending on experience, circumstances, history, culture, and location.
    • allows us to understand both the challenges and the value of the population changes occurring within the United States and other countries, as well as the growing interconnectedness of people worldwide. It helps us to better analyze conflict, while developing resolutions that are likely to be more legitimate among heterogeneous populations.
    • encourages us to think through, in a nuanced way, how to develop and implement public policies so that we can ensure their benefits across populations. 

    All of these dimensions are critical in training students to be active and engaged citizens—leaders in an increasingly diverse world.

    Although the current socio-political context has created a heightened sensitivity and sense of urgency regarding the need for deeper engagement, we see this evolution as essential to our mission and core values over the long term. Further, we see this as an essential part of our broader diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

     

    Crowd of protestors with signs

    Racial justice

    Our faculty think, speak out, and teach about structural inequality–about differential outcomes and experiences for Black people and other marginalized populations in education, policing, health, economics, finance, and other key...
    Mom places a mask on her child

    COVID-19 insights and action

    Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are leading the charge on public policy responses to and analysis of the COVID-19 crisis.

    University-wide commitment

    When the University of Michigan recently concluded its initial five-year DEI strategic plan ("DEI 1.0") in 2021, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Rob Sellers wrote, "I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made, but acknowledge there is still much work to be done. If we are to become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive University, we must continue our journey and renew our commitment to this work, which includes the advancement of anti-racism, anti-ableism, gender equity, dismantling antisemitism, and building a climate resistant to sexual misconduct."

    In March 2022, the University launched a transitional webpage that provides information and a timeline of activities that will assist and engage the U-M community in this renewed commitment.  The University will use the 2021-2022 academic year to evaluate DEI 1.0, identifying what has worked, what can be improved, and what remains unaddressed. 

    In the 2022-23 academic year, the University began planning in earnest for DEI 2.0, relying on input and engagement from the community to build out a strategic, focused, and impactful DEI plan. In fall 2023, U-M will officially launch its next DEI strategic plan.

    Read more

    Read more related to the Ford School's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

    2016-2021

    DEI 1.0

    In October 2016, the Ford School released a five-year strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion, developed with broad community input over the course of the previous academic year. The plan addresses four central goals: (1) diversifying ‘who we are’, (2) diversifying ‘what and how we teach’, (3) promoting an equitable and inclusive climate, and (4) diversifying ‘our research and policy engagement’.
    DEI strategic plan and results
    Yazier Henry teaching in front of a room of students

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