Five-year strategic plan created to promote inclusion

In 2015, President Mark Schlissel challenged the university’s 19 schools and colleges, the Office of Student Life, the athletic department, Michigan Medicine and other units on the Ann Arbor campus to develop plans to make U-M a more diverse, equitable and inclusive institution. Both the UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn campuses were consulted during the planning process to draw upon their deep and successful experiences promoting equity and inclusion for highly diverse campus communities.

From this work — enhanced by the critical input of students, faculty and staff at more than 200 engagement sessions — a single, overarching plan was created. Titled “Many Voices, Our Michigan,” it outlines the university’s goals for the coming five years. Robert Sellers, U-M’s first-ever chief diversity officer, introduced the plan to an enthusiastic audience Oct. 6, 2016.

“The value of creating an inclusive campus community — one in which people of different abilities, races and ethnicities, political and religious views, sexual orientations and gender identities feel welcome and accepted — is immeasurable,” said Sellers.

Recommendations from the universitywide strategic plan include:

• A program for incoming freshmen to help assess and develop skills for navigating cultural and other differences.
• Enhanced educational programming for all new faculty on inclusive teaching methods.
• New outreach efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse pool of students, faculty and staff.

To demonstrate his commitment to bringing the ideas of the strategic plan to life, Schlissel has earmarked $85 million in new investments over five years to fund their implementation.

The plan’s year one progress report was released in November 2017.