'Diversity is our strength,' says U of M board chair after Sviggum comments

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has responded to controversy surrounding a question posed and comments made by vice chairman Steve Sviggum at a recent meeting.

Sviggum is under scrutiny for questioning whether falling enrollment numbers at the U's Morris campus are due to the increase in "diversity."

"Is it possible that at Morris we've become too diverse?" Sviggum asked UMN-Morris interim chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen during a board meeting last week. "Is that at all possible from a marketing standpoint?"

He then continued to share a story of letters he had received from two friends who said their children are not going to Morris "because it is too diverse of a campus," and acknowledged that he's on "thin ice" with his line of questioning, but continued because "at 71 or 72 years old I say things that I would never even thought when I was 52. But it gives you a little freedom to do that."

The board submitted a statement on the matter on behalf of chairman Kendall J. Powell Monday evening, highlighting the importance of diversity.

"I am aware of the comments made by Regent Steve Sviggum since last week’s presentation by Interim Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen of the University of Minnesota Morris. Interim Chancellor Ericksen's comments during the Board's meeting strongly resonate with me. Our diversity is a strength, it creates opportunity, and it opens the door for many more who have been historically excluded from the economic and other benefits of higher education.

"This Board has been a strong supporter of the diversity efforts of this administration, whether in employment or student enrollment. We have voiced our support and our pride in the results, knowing that across the broad spectrum of diversity, the University is a leader—regionally and nationally—in ensuring that all Minnesotans have access to the strength of the University of Minnesota.

"Regent Sviggum has told me that he feels very firmly that those with concerns with his remarks should contact him directly.

"I will, of course, be in contact with my colleagues on this issue."

James Farnsworth, a U of M regent board member who serves in Congressional District 4, said the university's statement on Sviggum's comments "miss the mark." He added that the board needs to be keen on "leading by example," rather than boasting support of their own efforts.

"I was sitting two chairs away from Regent Sviggum during Thursday's committee meeting and heard his comments in real time. I found them to be hurtful and inappropriate. Around 4 p.m. [Monday] I reached out to him directly to express this sentiment and have not heard back yet," Farnsworth said in a Twitter thread.

What made things worse, according to Farnsworth, was Sviggum "doubling down" in interviews with local media outlets. Sviggum – who spent 28 years as a Republican lawmaker in the Minnesota House – told the Star Tribune: "As public policymakers, we have to question all of our programs to see if they're meeting the intended or unintended consequences."

He later told MPR News he didn't regret the question, adding: "You're seeking information. Why would you see that as being wrong? For those that do, or would see it as being offensive, I apologize to them. It was certainly not meant in that way, in either a racist or sexist form," he said.

"I will continue to wait patiently and watch closely for accountability and action to fix this reckless saga that hopefully quickly comes to and end," Farnsworth said.

The Morris campus has seen a dip in enrollment over the past decade, and currently has 1,068 students enrolled, of whom 54% are white, and 41% are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)– including 32% who are Native American.

The Morris campus has a high proportion of Native American students because it offers free tuition to Native students (a legacy that goes back to the campus' former life as the American Indian Boarding School) and is the only four-year college in the upper-Midwest that qualifies for federal designation as a Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution.

The decline in enrollment isn't exclusive to Morris. Overall university enrollment has fallen 7.4% nationally over the past two years. While this is initially attributable to the pandemic, the trend has not arrested as the country emerges from the worst of COVID-19, with Forbes suggesting it comes as more people question the value of college.

BestColleges.com notes that college attendance peaked in 2010 and has been declining since.

Sviggum invited by UMN-Morris students

UMN-Morris student body President Dylan Young has asked Sviggum to come visit the campus.

Young, who is Native American, highlighted some of the disparities BIPOC students have faced in response to Sviggum's "diversity problem" comments.

"There are only two Native American course instructors at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and very few Native staff are employed there. Even with the help of the American Indian Tuition Waiver, there have been several moments where I was unable to pay for groceries and other basic needs," he said.

"There are many BIPOC students at Morris who have faced similar and greater challenges. Students like us face several unique challenges because the college environment was not designed for us to succeed — much less feel included."

Young invited Sviggum to the campus, and also addressed the "friends" who reached out to Sviggum about their children reportedly not wanting to attend the university because they felt "uncomfortable." Young added that he would treat Sviggum to dinner with Morris Campus Student Association leadership and students in the community with historically marginalized backgrounds.

"By the end of our time together, it is my hope that you would be able to let your two friends and their children know that diversity should be embraced — not feared. For that is integral to the mission of higher education and all we stand for," Young concluded in his statement.