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Office of DEI

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) leads and supports a variety of university-wide initiatives and guides policy at the enterprise level focused on recruitment and retention of a broadly diverse student body, faculty, and staff, and on fostering the type of inclusive and equitable community at the University of Michigan that is essential to our university’s academic excellence mission.

Katrina Wade-Golden speaking at the DEI Leads luncheon

ODEI’s mission is to serve as a leader, partner, and resource for our U-M campus community, working with our schools, colleges and campus units to implement and support the use of values-driven, evidence-informed approaches and practices that enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion– across our campus, in partnership with local communities, and at national and global levels. This mission is grounded in a vision of U-M impacting the world through providing an intellectually and culturally diverse university community where all have the opportunity to thrive and excel and to use their talents to make societal impacts.

A major part of the work advanced by ODEI is to support the campuswide DEI Strategic Plan process. This support includes:

  • Facilitating and supporting progress in all of the university’s schools, colleges and campus units, among them Student Life, Athletics and Michigan Medicine, throughout the DEI 2.0 five-year timeline (2023–2028).
  • Tracking and reporting in accordance with metrics that were established in the original plan and are being further developed as implementation progresses. Conducting university climate surveys on diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • Serving as a key curator of other institutional data and information on diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • Reporting to and communicating with university leadership and the community at large on progress under the strategic plan.
  • Addressing emergent issues and providing leadership on issues and concerns about progress under the strategic plan.

To learn more about the full scope of work of ODEI and its four programming units, visit our website.