A month after MSU removed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion language from several of its websites, including the university’s 2030 strategic plan website, the domain has been restored.
The page, which was updated earlier this month, is missing DEI-specific initiatives and terminology that were present in the original plan.
Following the revision of MSU’s strategic plan, President Kevin Guskiewicz called the process “an important waypoint” for the university.
“(The strategic plan) offers opportunities to reflect on our successes and challenges, to consider how both Michigan State University and the world have changed and adjust to ensure a successful trajectory,” Guskiewicz said in a press release.
In mid-July, MSU quietly removed all mentions of DEI from several public-facing websites, including a DEI plan from the Office of the President website. MSU officials said they were conducting a strategic review of the university’s 2030 Strategic Plan while also engaging in an ongoing review of programs and activities in compliance with civil rights laws.
The plan was first introduced in 2021 by former MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. and featured DEI as part of MSU’s strategic vision, integrating a DEI steering committee.
However, all mentions of the committee have also been removed from the plan’s website, with links redirecting users to a “page not found” site.
In a “Dear Colleagues” letter, MSU Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Jabbar Bennet addressed the revision of the plan, saying the document “reaffirms our enduring values as a public land-grant institution and signals a shift to include language that articulates and embodies our long-standing commitment to access, opportunity and excellence for all.”
“As you may recall, it was envisioned that the MSU 2030 strategic plan would be updated several years into execution,” Bennett said in the letter. “This step anticipated the need to reflect on changes within and beyond the university in consideration of the context and environment in which we pursue our mission.”
In the letter, Bennett said MSU engaged in a process of its ongoing review of its strategic plan, led by the office of General Counsel, to ensure compliance with “long-standing antidiscrimination laws and our own university policies.” The review included making sure language used in university materials and communications — including the strategic plan — “conveys MSU’s continued adherence to applicable laws.”
MSU also announced in July that it was ending DEI statements in job postings, hiring, evaluations and promotion, and tenure decisions, citing compliance with "evolving federal directives".
The university’s abrupt shift from publicly defending its DEI practices to scaling back specific language has raised concerns, while mirroring recent actions taken by the University of Michigan, which announced the end of its DEI programs and initiatives in March.
The original six key areas the plan aimed to address included:
- Student success
- Staff and faculty success
- Innovation for global impact, sustainable health, stewardship and sustainability
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI.
The revised plan, however, keeps five of the six areas on MSU’s website, renaming the DEI section to “Access, Opportunity and Excellence.” The university's previous commitment to eliminating race and ethnicity opportunity gaps was also removed.
“As part of the ongoing review and refresh of the university’s strategic plan, revisions have been made to every part of the plan, within every section and every priority,” MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said. “Several priorities have been retitled to allow for new content, better fit and often updated for clarity.”
Guerrant said the review process, led by a Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee, began last year and concluded this summer, with updated plans presented to the MSU Board of Trustees before receiving approval.
“The Board of Trustees is pleased to once again voice our support for a comprehensive plan to chart a course for the future of MSU,” Chair Kelly Tebay said in a press release. “We appreciate the leadership of President Guskiewicz, the executive sponsors and the Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee to refresh, reframe, reimagine and reaffirm a strategic plan capable of making MSU the nation’s leading contemporary land-grant university.”
“MSU 2030: Excellence for Global Impact has been updated to reflect accomplishments since 2021, identify new cross-cutting themes, and introduce changes to language as part of continued compliance with the law and guidance issued by the federal government, among other revisions,” Guerrant said.
In efforts led by MSU’s General Counsel to ensure university activities, Guerrant said MSU’s online presence and the language the university uses in materials such as the university’s main strategic plan, or unit-level strategic plans, describe activities and programs accurately while conveying its continued compliance with applicable laws and new federal guidance issued under the Trump administration.
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“This entire review process sought to balance the benefits of a stable framework with the need for adaptability in consideration of internal change and new ideas, as well as responsiveness to external contexts,” Guerrant said. “We recognize some changes are a shift in our language, but we believe where we landed maintains alignment with our mission and values.”
When asked if changes made to MSU’s strategic plan were influenced by any potential investigations of the university's practice of DEI, Guerrant said the university has not been notified of any investigation by federal agencies.
“We continue to operate within all existing state and federal laws that regulate higher education or employers that receive federal financial support,” Guerrant said.
In a press release, Board of Trustees Chair Kelly Tebay said: “The Board of Trustees is pleased to once again voice our support for a comprehensive plan to chart a course for the future of MSU. We appreciate the leadership of President Guskiewicz, the executive sponsors and the Strategic Plan Implementation Steering Committee to refresh, reframe, reimagine and reaffirm a strategic plan capable of making MSU the nation’s leading contemporary land-grant university.”
