The Michigan Ross DEI Strategic Plan 2.0

Our Vision

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, belonging, and accessibility in all that we do. These values enrich the learning and working environment, produce excellence and innovation, and help achieve our mission to build a better world through business. As a community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and business partners, we are committed to fighting discrimination, racism, bias, prejudice, and all forms of oppression, and creating a community rooted in justice and equity. 

Our Strategic Plan

We maintain an unwavering commitment to act on our vision for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. 

Our DEI Strategic Plan, which supports and aligns with the University of Michigan’s DEI Strategic Plan 2.0, is grounded in the principles of equity and justice to enhance the experiences of our students, staff, and faculty and their contributions to the greater community. We are committed to nurturing a sense of belongingness that enables every member of the Michigan Ross community to thrive. In pursuit of this objective, our DEI Strategic Plan outlines critical initiatives, projects and processes that aim to incorporate equity, justice and inclusion into the core of our school, and the programs we offer and the work we do. The results of these efforts will be shared with our community through annual program reports.

Our DEI Pillars

The Michigan Ross DEI Strategic Plan focuses on three primary pillars. 

 

1. Cultivating Authentic Belongingness

We will create and uphold a culture rooted in compassion, empathy, respect, and care.

 

2. Promoting Excellence in DEI Scholarship and Education

Through thought leadership, curricular and co-curricular offerings, and teaching skills, we will center this work around equity-centered knowledge, empathy and compassion, and global and intercultural perspectives.

 

3. Improving Representation and Outcomes of Community Members with Minoritized Identities

We will improve support systems for community members with minoritized identities by elevating and centering their lived experiences.

Action Items

We continue to support and advance our strategic objectives through our policies and procedures, organizational structure, and curriculum and research. 

1. Cultivating Authentic Belongingness

Strategic ObjectiveMetrics
Create and uphold a culture of authentic belonging for faculty, staff, and students, rooted in compassion and empathy, respect and care
  • Achieve parity in satisfaction levels on 2026 climate survey across all identity groups 

  • Increase sense of belonging for all identity groups in 2026 climate survey data

  • Improvement in the numbers and types of concerns and conflicts requiring resolution

Fundraise private support for the Ross School of Business to: 1) increase economic opportunity and representation of historically minoritized faculty, staff, and students; and 2) promote excellence in equity-centered research and teaching 
  • Increase in DEI-related gifts

  • Increase in diversity of students across all degree programs

Develop curricular integrations and supplemental co-curricular offerings focused on improving students’ DEI competencies (equity-centered knowledge, empathy and compassion, and global/intercultural perspectives)
  • Increase in DEI competencies and capabilities of students measured through course assessments

Develop equity-centered leadership capacity of students focusing on three DEI competencies (equity-centered knowledge, empathy and compassion, and global/intercultural perspectives)
  • Increase in DEI competencies and capabilities of students measured through course assessments

Develop equity-centered leadership capacity of faculty through development of three DEI competencies (equity-centered knowledge, empathy and compassion, and global/ intercultural perspectives)
  • Increase in DEI competencies (equity-centered knowledge, empathy and compassion, and global/intercultural perspectives) and capabilities of staff and faculty.  Staff development measured through performance assessments

2. Promoting Excellence in Equity-Centered DEI Scholarship and Education

Strategic ObjectiveMetrics
Establish thought leadership in topics of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion in academia, business, and society
  • Increase in output and impact of DEI-related research and thought leadership activities by faculty and PhD students

  • Increase in number of submissions and participants for annual Equity Research Conference 

Improve equity-based teaching skills among faculty
  • High student satisfaction levels with diversity and inclusion in courses as assessed by responses on course evaluations

3. Improving Representation and Outcomes of 
Community Members with Minoritized Identities

Strategic ObjectiveMetrics
Increase representation and retention outcomes while improving support of students with minoritized identities and international students
  • Applications and incoming student enrollments in each Ross degree program mirror national population demographics for all identity groups
  • Student success metrics (i.e., degree completion rates, career placement rates) are at parity across all identity groups
  • High student satisfaction levels with support services
Elevate Ross to be an employer of choice for faculty and staff by increasing representational diversity in all phases of the recruitment process and centering equity as a framework for improving the work culture and overall cultural health
  • Increase in representational diversity in all phases of the recruitment and hiring process with transparent data reported annually
  • Reduction in number of faculty and staff leaving Ross due to inequity issues
  • Track recruitment and retention efforts
  • Examine effectiveness of equity-centered process (staff) by examining all phases of the hiring process 
  • Track activities addressing work culture
  • Track internal promotion/tenure/leadership and growth/development opportunities
  • Track and improve job satisfaction metrics on climate survey
  • Track junior faculty satisfaction related to belonging, support in promotion, and experiences with mentorship
  • Track improvement in job satisfaction ratings for faculty and staff on climate survey