University of Minnesota Regent Sviggum invited to Morris campus after 'too diverse' comments

University of Minnesota regent questions if Morris campus is 'too diverse'

The vice chair of the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents is facing some criticism after questioning whether diversity at the university's Morris, Minnesota campus is facing low enrollment due to "too much diversity."

(FOX 9) - The vice chair of the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents has accepted an invitation to visit the Morris campus after his controversial comments last week, according to the Morris Campus Student Association.

The Morris Campus Student Association (MCSA) on Tuesday tweeted Vice Chair Steve Sviggum has accepted the association's invitation to visit the campus, with the hope Sviggum will apologize for his comments that attributed the school's falling enrollment to it being "too diverse."

Sviggum has faced criticism after he questioned whether low enrollment at the University of Minnesota-Morris is the result of "too much diversity." The comments came during a meeting last week, as the board discussed issues with declining enrollment at Morris, which has seen a 44% drop over the last 10 years from 1,896 enrolled students in 2012 to 1068 students in 2022.

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"As a campus and as an institution of the university, we like to promote and we need to promote and it's important to promote DEI and diversity," Sviggum explained during the meeting. "It is possible that at Morris, we've become too diverse?"

"Is it possible at all, from a marketing standpoint," he continued. "For instance, I've received a couple of letters – two actually – from friends whose children are not going to go to Morris because it is too diverse of a campus. They just didn't feel comfortable there."

"Is that at all possible in the specific of Morris that we become too diverse for a student to attend? And again, I'm on thin ice. I understand that. At 71 years or 72 years old, I say things that I would never thought when I was 52. But it gives you a little of freedom to do that."

In response to Sviggum's comments, MCSA President Dylan Young, who is of Native descent, invited Sviggum to campus to have dinner with MCSA leadership and members of the campus community who come from marginalized backgrounds.

In a statement, Young said the hope is by the end of their time together, Sviggum will be able to let his "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," the statement said.

Young stressed that while the diversity at the University of Minnesota, Morris might make some prospective students "uncomfortable, I reckon that it has the exact opposite effect on a far greater number of students."

When looking to overcome struggles with enrollment, the university "cannot turn its back on the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion out of fear and discomfort. We need to embrace them," Young said.

Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen, in response to Sviggum's comments, shot down any notion the campus suffers from too much diversity.

"I had a meeting this week with students who are members of the Black Student Union on our campus," the chancellor explained. "I think that they would be shocked that anyone would think our campus was too diverse. They certainly at times feel very isolated where they are located. So from that perspective, the answer is no."

The chancellor also argued diversity is a particularly important experience for students.

"I would add to it that multiple perspectives are absolutely core to education and particularly liberal arts education," said Schrunk Ericksen. "It's something that we highly value and we try really hard to be inclusive of all perspectives, not just those of historically underrepresented populations."

"One, I might speak to the increasing polarization and politicization as well as a factor in that perception rather than the actual on-the-ground experience of the students and our student numbers," the chancellor added.

Enrollment data shows the number of students at the University of Minnesota-Morris who identify as white has fallen from 1,348 in 2011 to 579 in 2022. In that same time period, the number of students from other backgrounds has also fallen at the school from 583 to 488, but with most of that loss coming from international students.

Sviggum in interviews with WCCO Radio and MPR News on Monday did not back down from the controversy – he defended his questions and argued he was pondering what may be an ugly truth.

"Isn't it a legitimate question that should be asked," Sviggum argued in the WCCO Radio interview. "As a public decision maker, in this case – the University of Minnesota case – don't you think that every program we have, every policy we have, should be at least questioned? Nothing should be above or below questioning. I think it's fair to at least ask the question. I don't see asking a question as being offensive or wrong and certainly, certainly, not racist."

Sviggum also relented there are plenty of other factors – like tuition costs, more competition from other colleges, and fewer high school graduates to begin with.