University of Michigan has over 500 DEI jobs, costing $30 million annually
The University of Michigan’s Sprawling DEI Bureaucracy: A Costly Agenda
The University of Michigan has created a massive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy, with over 500 jobs dedicated to advancing this agenda. This endeavor comes at a staggering cost of more than $30 million annually, according to an analysis conducted by one of the university’s own professors.
“The university has at least 241 employees whose main duties are to provide DEI programming and services as either their exclusive or primary job responsibility,” reveals an analysis by Mark Perry, an economics professor at the University of Michigan-Flint.
These full-time DEI staff members alone cost the institution an estimated $30.68 million per year, covering salaries and benefits. To put this into perspective, this amount could cover in-state tuition and fees for 1,781 undergraduate students. It’s a significant investment that raises questions about priorities.
Some DEI staff members at the University of Michigan receive exorbitant salaries. For instance, Tabbye Chavous Sellers, UM’s Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer, earns a staggering $402,800 annually, nearly double the average salary of a full-time professor on campus.
But Sellers is not alone in enjoying a lucrative salary while engaging in DEI work. Thirteen other DEI staff members earn over $200,000 per year, and an additional 66 make more than $100,000 annually. On average, DEI staff members earn $96,000 per year, excluding benefits.
Expanding the DEI Agenda
In addition to the full-time DEI staff, there are 76 faculty and staff members serving as “DEI Unit Leads,” responsible for promoting diversity across the university’s various schools. This push for diversity extends to non-academic units as well, such as the botanical gardens, IT department, art museum, and athletics, all of which are required to adopt a DEI plan.
When considering those who contribute to the DEI agenda in both full-time and part-time capacities, as well as unpaid positions and unfilled roles, the total number of UM employees advancing DEI reaches well over 500, possibly even 600.
A Controversial Bureaucracy
While the University of Michigan disputes these findings, claiming that diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values without a specific budget for outreach and recruitment, critics like Mark Perry argue otherwise.
“The university’s DEI efforts are reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s and Communist China’s five-year central plans to achieve ‘Ideal Communist Societies,’ which are examples of top-down oppressive bureaucratic blueprints to socially engineer outcomes decided by the top leadership of the dictatorial regimes,” Perry asserts.
Regardless of the ongoing debate, the University of Michigan’s DEI bureaucracy remains a significant force, with a substantial financial investment and a wide-reaching influence across the institution.
Has the increased investment in DEI staff and programming at the University of Michigan resulted in significant improvements in campus diversity and inclusivity?
The associate vice provost for academic and faculty affairs, earns a salary of $317,000 per year. This sum is higher than the average salary of many distinguished professors at the university. The fact that a bureaucracy dedicated to diversity and inclusion has such high-ranking and well-compensated positions calls into question the university’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and academic excellence.
Furthermore, the proliferation of DEI staff and programming has not been accompanied by any tangible improvements in campus diversity or inclusivity. Despite the university’s lofty goals, the numbers tell a different story. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of underrepresented minority students at the University of Michigan has remained relatively stagnant over the past decade. This raises concerns about the effectiveness and necessity of such a large and costly bureaucracy.
It is worth noting that the university’s focus on diversity and inclusion is not inherently problematic. Promoting equality and creating an inclusive environment is undoubtedly a laudable aim. However, it becomes problematic when it comes at the expense of other important aspects of higher education.
The exorbitant cost of the DEI bureaucracy raises questions about resource allocation. The University of Michigan is a public institution, financed in part by taxpayer dollars. As such, it has a responsibility to ensure that those funds are used wisely and effectively. Is investing over $30 million annually in a DEI bureaucracy the best use of those funds?
Furthermore, the focus on DEI may come at the expense of other critical areas of the university, such as academic programs, faculty recruitment, and infrastructure improvements. While it is important to strive for diversity and inclusion, it should not be pursued at the detriment of the overall quality of education and research.
Critics argue that the University of Michigan’s emphasis on DEI is an example of the growing bureaucracy that has infiltrated higher education institutions across the country. These critics argue that universities are becoming more focused on social and political agendas rather than their core mission of providing a high-quality education.
In conclusion, the University of Michigan’s sprawling DEI bureaucracy is a costly endeavor that raises questions about the university’s priorities and resource allocation. While diversity and inclusion are important goals, the exorbitant cost and lack of tangible results call into question the necessity and effectiveness of such a large bureaucracy. The university should reevaluate its approach and ensure that its focus on DEI does not come at the expense of other critical aspects of higher education.
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