On Monday, April 14, President Dr. Brock Tessman led a university forum open to students, faculty and staff on NMU campus, and the Marquette community.
At this forum Dr. Tessman covered several topics including:
- Admissions
- Housing outlooks
- Recruitment environment
- Campus construction
- Budget planning
- State funding
- Executive Order and Recommended DEI Changes
After an executive order was signed in the oval office earlier this year DEI programs across the nation have been dismantled.
Much like other universities, NMU will be making changes to its DEI programs.
Dr. Tessman says this decision was not a easy one for him, or administers to make but the university will continue to be in compliance with executive orders from Washington D.C.
“We’ve also been a university that over the last 125 years has made adjustments and adaptations and really evolved, always with our mission in mind, always with our mission in mind. And so it’s okay for us to continue to evolve with that mission in mind, ” Dr. Tessman said. “I believe [the new outline] allows us to make some adaptations and adjustments to clarify how we pursue our mission, but it reflects the fact that Northern Michigan University is in compliance with existing executive orders.”
If the university were to not comply to the executive order established in Washington D.C. they could run the risk of losing federal funding. A quarter of NMU’s annual budget is connected to federally funded sources. He continues that outside of that several other programs such as EAN and Rip and Replace are also dependent on federal funding.
“In a world where federal funding were cut or restricted, there would be significant consequences for NMU,” Dr. Tessman said. “Not consequences around the edges like less pizza at the buffet, but consequences in terms of programming, staffing, faculty positions on our campus. So the stakes are certainly high.”
- Financial aid
- NMU Center for Native American Studies
- Student organization
- TRiO programs
- The McNair Scholars program
- Student Support Services
- Upward Bound
- King-Chavez-Parks grant funded program
Requires a language change:
- The Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- The Student Equity and Engagement Center
- Diversity Common Reader Program
New names for the ODI would be Office of Opportunity, Empowerment and People. SEEC would be changed to the Center for Community and Connection. The Board of Trustees will have a vote for these changes on May 2. Staff member’s jobs would not be lost, but instead job descriptions will be rewritten.
Programs offered through the ODI and SEEC will not be canceled as they are affiliated or effected by demographic factors.
