The University of Michigan Alumni Association is ending its LEAD scholarship program, aimed at boosting minority enrollment, amid a crackdown by President Donald Trump on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com
ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Michigan Alumni Association is ending a scholarship program aimed at boosting enrollment of minority students. The change comes as universities nationwide are under scrutiny by the Trump administration for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
The university’s LEAD program, which stands for Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity, has been discontinued effective immediately, Rob Clendening, vice president for marketing and communications for the alumni association, told MLive Friday, March 21.
“After careful consideration, the Alumni Association made the decision to discontinue the LEAD Scholars program to ensure it is complying with federal and state laws as well as recent guidance from the federal government,” the program’s website said. “While difficult, this decision does not reflect on the success of the LEAD Scholars program or the hard work of the nearly 900 students the program supported over the years.”
The university did not provide an explanation for why the program was discontinued. However, the news comes as UM is currently under federal investigation for “allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
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LEAD was an undergraduate scholarship program, which means it would not have been the target of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights investigation.
About 300 UM students received scholarships through the LEAD program in the 2024-25 academic year, Clendening said. The program has supported nearly 900 students since its inception in 2008.
The program’s website said the alumni association would work with current LEAD students to connect them with other resources and support.
“The decision does not impact payments already disbursed this semester,” the website said.
LEAD Scholars received scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 per year, renewable for four years.
The UM Alumni Association started the LEAD program in 2008, after Michigan voters in 2006 approved Proposal 2, prohibiting public universities and colleges from considering race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin in admissions and financial aid processes.
After watching UM’s black student population decline, the alumni association created the scholarship program with the hopes of boosting opportunities and overall enrollment for underrepresented minorities on campus.
Students needed to already be accepted to UM with a 3.5 high school GPA and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be considered for the LEAD program.
DEI policies and programs have been on the chopping block at institutions across the country this year as President Donald Trump has threatened to pull federal funds from schools with diversity programs.
The U.S. Department of Education issued a letter to institutions last month about ending the use of “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.”
The letter warned that any institutions that “fail to comply” with federal civil rights laws may face potential loss of federal funding.
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UM has been barred from considering race in admissions since Michigan voters banned affirmative action in 2006. When the U.S. Supreme Court broadly banned affirmative action in 2023, the university announced its commitment to continue pursuing broader campus diversity.
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