ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan has received a grant of $600,000 from the Ford Foundation to support public education, outreach and research related to diversity in higher education. This grant follows two recent private donations made to the University in part because of its leadership on diversity.

The Ford Foundation grant will help to fund public education and outreach in connection with the two lawsuits challenging the University’s use of race in undergraduate and law school admissions, research designed to answer questions relevant to future challenges to diversity, ongoing collaboration between social scientists and lawyers defending such challenges, and efforts to educate the public about such research and the educational benefits of diversity.

The Ford Foundation grant acknowledges U-M’s leadership in preserving and advancing diversity in higher education. Similarly, U-M has recently received sizable private donations, partly in appreciation of its leadership on this issue.

“Diversity plays a powerful role in the development of excellence in higher education and, by relationship, in our society,” said U-M alumnus Richard Rogel, founder of Preferred Provider Organization of Michigan. “I admire and value U-M’s ability and willingness to articulate this through research and community outreach. It is essential that Michigan maintain its democratic heritage.” Last April, Rogel and his wife, Susan Rogel, made a $22 million gift to the University in support of financial aid for undergraduate, non-resident students at the U-M. In doing so, the Rogels noted the importance of the University’s ability to recruit and maintain a diverse student body of excellence, regardless of circumstances, race, color, background, or financial situation.

In making a recent $5 million gift to the University, U-M alumnus Sanford R. Robertson noted his desire to show support for the values of the U-M, especially its commitment to the highest intellectual quality, to community, and to diversity. Robertson currently is the principal of Francisco Partners in San Francisco and formerly managing partner of Robertson Stephens and Company.

Founded in 1936, the Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental philanthropic organization that seeks to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.

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