Sent to: Michigan Engineering faculty and staff on April 1, 2025
Dear Michigan Engineering Faculty and Staff,
I am writing in follow up to the message from President Ono and the University’s executive vice presidents concerning “evolving our approach to DEI and moving forward together.”
Our College community is composed of individuals with a wide array of backgrounds and lived experiences, making the implications and impacts of this message deeply personal. Recognizing this, I encourage you to give yourself time and space to reflect and to support those around you. I would also like to take a moment to recognize the efforts of everyone across our community who has been committed to making Engineering a place where each individual feels supported, respected, and positioned to thrive.
This announcement has not changed our College’s commitment to fostering an environment that supports every member of our community and honors diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Our values will remain core to who we are and how we function as an institution.
I am in regular communication with University leadership to understand and influence actions when possible, and I am working closely with our College’s leadership, including department chairs, who have all been proactive in communicating their respective areas’ concerns, to determine our course of action. To this end, we are currently reviewing College-level structures, student-facing support services, and programming to align with the new guidance, and to allocate resources to best support our community.
I have tremendous faith in our community as we move forward. We will continue to monitor and navigate changing national developments by understanding and evaluating their impact, while keeping our missions of teaching, research, and service at the center of our decision-making, alongside our fundamental principles of community well-being. In addition, through our strategic planning process, we will work together to chart the strategic direction of our College and the collective difference we will make in the world.
I encourage you to share your perspectives and questions with your department’s leadership, as well as during our upcoming meetings. The faculty meeting on April 24 will be held as a town hall session, and a staff town hall will be held on May 7 (invitation to come). I hope you will attend and voice your questions and concerns. In the meantime, the university administration asks that questions be submitted through this form on the Public Affairs page.
Thank you for all that you do in support of the College of Engineering.
Karen A. Thole, Ph.D.
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering