22 — Thursday, August 5, 2021
Opinion
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Two weeks ago, University
President
Mark
Schlissel
used an evaluative survey
sent to all governing faculty
at the University of Michi-
gan to ask whether they sup-
ported expanding the Go
Blue Guarantee for the Uni-
versity’s Flint and Dearborn
campuses. The survey ques-
tion framed the program’s
expansion as a trade-off with
academic excellence and sal-
ary growth on the Ann Ar-
bor campus. The question’s
elitist connotations raised
eyebrows, a bit of disbelief
and understandable outrage
among many campus groups.
Schlissel offered a tepid
apology a few weeks later,
though not in a full or public
fashion. Perhaps he hoped
to leave this issue behind
him — yet another episode
in a list of controversies that
include being forced to re-
move his provost for sexual
misconduct,
overseeing
a
controversial COVID-19 re-
sponse that many felt lacked
transparency and receiving
an unprecedented vote of no
confidence from the 2020
Faculty Senate.
But this incident also reveals
a deeper problem, both with
President Schlissel and the
current structure of the Uni-
versity: There remains a fla-
grant disregard for fulfilling
the role of a public institu-
tion and serving the people
of the state of Michigan.
President Schlissel was edu-
cated and spent his career at
elite institutions, from Princ-
eton University to Brown
University to the University
of California, Berkeley. Un-
like his role at the University
of Michigan, Schlissel’s lead-
ership at these institutions
did not carry the responsi-
bility of developing regional,
comprehensive
campuses
that support large numbers
of working-class students.
Schlissel’s lack of experience,
and clear lack of interest, in
the missions and strengths of
these campuses has compro-
mised his ability to lead.
In an era rightfully attuned
to racial and class inequali-
ties,
Schlissel’s
treatment
of the Flint and Dearborn
campuses undermines the
institution’s commitment to
justice and equity.
Sadly,
President
Schlissel
seems ignorant of this — of-
ten willfully so. His admin-
istration misrepresented the
goals of the One University
campaign, claiming that it
wants to “merge” the cam-
puses. One University does
not believe the mission of the
Flint and Dearborn campus-
es is the same as the Ann Ar-
bor campus. In fact, it is pre-
cisely the divergent missions
of our campuses that make
the University of Michigan
stronger and positions us to
make the greatest impact on
the families and students of
our state and nation.
The Flint and Dearborn cam-
puses instruct half of the Uni-
versity of Michigan’s in-state
students. Close to 40% of
University of Michigan-Flint
and University of Michigan-
Dearborn students are low-
er-income and therefore Pell
Grant eligible, while almost
half of Ann Arbor’s students
come from the top 10% of
earners. This means the Flint
and Dearborn campuses are
the University’s work-horses
of upward mobility. They are
precious resources that — for
over half a century — have
built deep ties to two of the
most dynamic and resilient
communities in our state.
President Schlissel clearly
does not see the three cam-
puses in this light. He has
fought tooth-and-nail against
expanding programs like the
Go Blue Guarantee. He has
resisted
extending
other
resources that would help
many University of Mich-
igan-Flint
and
University
of Michigan-Dearborn stu-
dents overcome the layered
inequalities that they face on
their educational journeys.
And he has stood by as these
campuses have cut music and
foreign language programs
due to financial pressures,
taking away opportunities
from these students.
His position has become in-
creasingly untenable and out
of step with the views of fac-
ulty, staff and students from
across the University. It is
also equally out of step with
burgeoning support within
our broader society for a
more equitable higher edu-
cation system.
At University of Michigan-
Flint and University of Mich-
igan-Dearborn,
students,
staff and faculty think of
President Schlissel as their
president too. They want him
to succeed, and they want
him to want them to succeed.
This is why it has been so
disappointing to watch him
blatantly act like the chancel-
lor of the Ann Arbor campus,
rather than the president of
all three campuses — only
invoking his role as president
to justify austerity on the
Flint and Dearborn campus-
es in the name of a distant,
better future.
A truly great university de-
serves a president who can
use “both-and” thinking, not
“either-or.” We can marshal
our resources in a manner
that cultivates and enhances
Ann Arbor’s distinct research
mission while supporting the
crucial work taking place at
the Flint and Dearborn cam-
puses.
President Schlissel: Are you the
President of U-M or the Presi-
dent of U-M Ann Arbor?
JACOB LEDERMAN, LIZ ROHAN,
DANIELLE HELD
and BENNETT WALLING
Daily Opinion Contributors
The University of Michigan Board of Regents have voted to discontinue investments
with companies that are linked to fossil fuels.
Alec Cohen/Daily