The New Century Fund designates $450,000 to "encourage units, organizations and interested individuals to pursue the goals of the Michigan Agenda for Women and the Michigan Mandate." According to guidelines, projects should aim to support action or research in finding ways to sustain diversity. Up to 10 proposals will be accepted, with each receiving a grant of $25,000 to $100,000. Academic departments and student organizations should look to these funds as a way to pursue goals that previously were financially unobtainable.
Academic units could use such funding to expand the breadth of their curricula. One way of doing so is to increase recruitment of high quality minority and female graduate students and professors, making the faculty and staff more representative of the student population. The money could also be used to broaden the scope of current summer programs aimed at recruiting and retaining minority students. These programs exist to provide assistance to minorities and women pursuing varying fields of study at the University.
While the Michigan Student Assembly's Budget Priorities Committee does have funding available for student groups, the New Century Fund has greater resources at its disposal. With such funding available, student groups also have an opportunity to undertake more expansive multicultural initiatives. For example, campus groups have lobbied the administration to establish a Latino/a cultural center. This project could be an exceptional candidate for funding.
Bollinger is encouraging applicants to take on projects with high risk and potentially high gain that are unable to receive funding from other sources. In addition, he wants programs to promote diversity "so we can provide a quality academic experience and working environment for all members of the working community." To accomplish these goals, a large number of the final proposals should focus on dispelling racial and ethnic misunderstandings. Improving multicultural programs for first-year student orientation could target some of the issues that arise on a racially and ethnically diverse campus.
Thanks to Bollinger's New Century Fund, students, faculty and University departments now have the means to implement innovative programs to expand multiculturalism. Proposals are due on May 16. All eligible parties should apply, considering the great benefits that could accompany a successful proposal. The president's initiative, while promising, should be just the first in a series of efforts to expand diversity. A more diverse campus will allow the University to provide students a more comprehensive and higher quality education.