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The U.S. Department of Education has asked university presidents and governing boards to publish statements by the end of 2026 addressing public trust in higher education, including admissions, free speech and academic rigor in the age of AI. Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate has urged its leaders to delay a response pending further governance advice. The available reporting does not establish whether the University of Michigan has issued an institutional response.
What the Education Department is asking universities to do
On August 3, 2026, Education Secretary Linda McMahon called on postsecondary institutions to publish a public statement on their websites by the end of 2026. The request is directed to university presidents and governing boards and frames the statements as part of a public conversation about restoring trust in higher education. The Department’s announcement is the source for the request and deadline; the full letter was not available for review. Read the Department’s announcement.
The subjects extend beyond admissions and campus speech. The Department asks institutions to address:
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- Free exchange and campus discourse: How institutions will protect broad debate and address disruptive or violent protests.
- Intellectual pluralism: How universities will encourage a range of viewpoints.
- Affordability and outcomes: How institutions will approach costs and student results.
- Teaching in the age of AI: How they will promote academic rigor, address grade inflation and prioritize teaching and learning as AI use grows.
- Research and national interests: How they will protect research integrity, address foreign influence and prioritize American students and national economic and security interests.
The announcement describes a request for public statements and conversation. It does not establish a legal penalty for universities that do not respond, so the call should not be characterized as a binding rule on the basis of that announcement alone.
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What Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate did
On September 15, 2026, Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate voted to advise President Kevin Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees to wait for rigorous advice from University Council before responding. The State News reported that the advisory resolution passed with 94% support. That figure describes the Senate vote, not an institution-wide referendum or a binding decision by university leaders. Read The State News report.
The resolution characterized the federal letter as an attempt to secure agreement with a political agenda that it said fundamentally conflicts with MSU’s mission. That is the Senate resolution’s characterization. MSU spokesperson Amber McCann told The State News that university leadership would consider the Senate’s position while evaluating and discussing a possible response. The report therefore documents a faculty recommendation and continued consideration, not a final university response.
Has the University of Michigan responded?
The evidence available here does not confirm whether UMich has responded to the federal request. The State News reported on September 16, 2026, that no public Michigan university appeared to have responded at that time. That is a dated snapshot, not confirmation of UMich’s status on October 3, 2026. See the dated Michigan report.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchUMich’s Rackham Graduate School does publish guidance relevant to graduate admissions. It says admissions committees must follow applicable laws and university policies, protect applicant privacy, and use holistic review based on relevant, non-identity-based factors. Rackham also advises caution about using generative AI to evaluate applications. This guidance concerns graduate admissions; it is not a complete account of all UMich admissions policies and does not establish a university-wide response to the federal call. Read Rackham’s application-evaluation guidance.
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Rackham says the effects of these technologies on application evaluation remain largely untested and cautions that outside AI services could risk non-compliance with FERPA, the federal student-privacy law. Its page also describes Michigan’s Proposal 2 as prohibiting public colleges and universities from discrimination against or preferential treatment of people based on race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin in public education, public employment or public contracting. That summary is Rackham’s guidance, not a substitute for the law or qualified legal advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to watch for in any university response
A published statement will be easier to interpret if readers check who issued it and what authority it carries. A faculty senate recommendation, a president’s statement and a governing board’s decision are not interchangeable. It also matters whether a university has made a final commitment, deferred while consulting its own governance bodies, or is still considering its position.
Quick Recap
- Check the publication date against the Department’s end-of-2026 deadline.
- Identify whether the statement comes from university leadership, a governing board, a faculty body or another office.
- Distinguish an advisory position from a binding institutional decision.
- See whether the institution addresses the full range of requested subjects, rather than only admissions, speech or AI.
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