Protestors at the University of Michigan mark the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, as they demand the university divest its holdings from Israel. Oct. 7, 2024. Photo by Jon King.
Two seats on University of Michigan Board of Regents are up for grabs on Nov. 5, but a shakeup at the Michigan Republican Party Convention leaves only one incumbent up for reelection on the ballot.
In August, Republicans dropped U of M Regent Ron Weiser — a major university donor who’s had two separate stints as chair of the Michigan GOP.
MIGOP Chairman Ron Weiser campaigns in Lansing on Aug. 27, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)
Weiser was censured by the board in 2021 and stripped of his committee assignments following remarks he made at a North Oakland Republican Club meeting referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as “witches” the party needed to defeat in the 2022 election by “burning at the stake,” He also joked about now-former U.S. Reps. Peter Meijer (R-Grand Rapids) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) being assassinated, with both representatives voting to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Weiser also paid a $200,000 fine through a conciliation agreement in 2021 for campaign finance violations during his time as MIGOP chair.
Republicans also declined to renominate an incumbent for Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees, as the Advance previously reported.
There was some controversy at the Michigan Democratic Party convention, as well, with supporters of Board of Regents candidate and pro-Palestinian activist Huwaida Arraf calling for the party to “show the math” on proportional representation voting rules they claimed cost Arraf the nomination. Arraf’s supporters also echoed chants from the “uncommitted” movement, which opposed the renomination of President Joe Biden due to his policies toward the Israel-Hamas War. Biden has since stepped away, with Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Like many elite colleges, the University of Michigan has been rocked by many pro-Palestinian protests over the last year, resulting in several arrests, with demonstrators demanding the college divest from Israel. Some regents and university officials have had their homes and offices vandalized and police broke up an encampment on the Diag in May.
The University of Michigan board is currently made up of six Democrats and two Republicans, with Democrat Denise Ilitch seeking reelection.
Here are our profiles and interviews with the major party candidates:
Denise Ilitch, Democrat
Serving as a member of the Board of Regents since 2008, Ilitch is an owner of Ilitch Family Companies and president of Ilitch Enterprises, LLC in addition to serving on the State of Michigan Investment Board and as a trustee for the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation.
In discussing her decision to pursue a third term, Ilitch noted her passion for students and education, telling the Advance one of her priorities is offering an accessible, affordable education for all.
Ilitch pointed to her record of voting no on eight different tuition hikes, in addition to the University’s Go Blue Guarantee which provides free tuition to students with families making less than $75,000 a year, which was instituted under Ilitch’s time on the board.
She also hoped to continue doing work with the university’s scholarships, noting that 63% of the University’s in-state students attend the school on a scholarship.
University of Michigan Regent Denise Ilitch | Courtesy photo
In addition to concerns about accessibility and affordability, Ilitch also noting her concern about civil discourse at the university, pointing to her proposal for a required course on civil leadership.
“We train leaders at Michigan, and I think it’s very important that we train our future leaders on how to have difficult conversations,” Ilitch said.
When asked how the University should approach student safety and free speech on campus amid ongoing protests surrounding Israel’s war on Gaza, Ilitch pointed to the board’s updated “Principles on Diversity of Thought and Freedom of Expression,” which it approved in January.
“We just passed freedom of speech principles that talk about how important it is to be able to freely speak and share ideas and Michigan has a very deep culture in that and in protest. I think that it also states, though, that it’s something that is valued but any speech or any, not really speech, but any behavior that is harmful to another you know, is not appropriate if policies are broken and it does not allow for bullying and discrimination,” Ilitch said.
The university also updated its statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities at its meeting in July in response to potential Title VI violations uncovered by an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Ilitch also said she feels strongly about investing in mental health support for students, as well physical health, noting the board voted to approve a new recreation center that is currently under construction.
Additionally, with the university’s hospital system making up roughly half of the university’s revenue, Ilitch said she would continue to support the system’s approach of growing by partnering with local health facilities.
“I think it’s a strategy that’s been working, and we’re able to help more people which is what I like. We’re able to be up north, and then we’re able, you know, we’re able to move around all over the state and be able to offer our medical expertise to our Michigan citizens,” Ilitch said.
Ilitch also said she works hard to ensure the University’s administration, employees and unions are collaborating to provide the university with a strong workforce.
Looking forward, Ilitch noted she’s been advocating for a women’s hockey team at the university,
“We’re in the process of doing a feasibility study, but right now we are sending a lot of elite women players out of state because they have no options here, and that is wrong to me. I’d like to be able to retain our Michigan students here and be able to offer them opportunities here,” Ilitch said.
Ilitch also pointed to her work on securing capital projects for the university, generating revenue and supporting thousands of union construction jobs.
“I want to continue to work on [the University of] Michigan’s contribution to the state of Michigan’s economy and we do that through creating jobs, capital projects, our research,” Ilitch said.
Carl Meyers, Republican
Republican Carl Meyers is once again seeking a position on the University of Michigan Board of Regents after unsuccessfully running in 2004, 2016 and 2020.
Meyers has worked as an investment manager since 1982, where he has observed the increasing costs of a college education as parents sought investment opportunities to help pay for their children’s college.
“I ran first in 2004 and I predicted everything that’s happening right now that we would have reached a point where, you know, the cost of a college education is out of reach for most Michigan families,” Meyers said.
While the university has done great with offering its Go Blue Guarantee to cover tuition costs for students with financial need, it needs to explore options for supporting middle-class families, Meyers said.
“It seems at the University of Michigan, if you’re poor, you get taken care of and if you’re wealthy, you don’t need to help. But it’s that middle of the bell curve, and those are the families that are really getting jammed up,” Meyers said.
“Purdue has not raised their tuition in 13 years. The Purdue model, they’ve frozen tuition to give families an opportunity to catch up and I would propose looking at something like that,” Meyers said.
Carl Meyers. | Photo courtesy of Carl Meyers for University of Michigan Regent
Describing himself as a fiscal hawk, Meyers also pointed to concerns about the state’s level of investment into U of M and the importance of understanding Michigan Medicine’s role in the U of M budget and funding.
“Anybody running for this office better have a pretty good understanding of finance. You know, there can be some social warriors that are out there, that’s all great, but at the end of the day the main driver of most decisions at the University of Michigan is financial,” Meyers said, pointing to the financial component as the main driver of his decision to run.
He also called for a cap on out of state student attendance, pointing to a high percentage of out of state attendees.
According to a report from the university, 52% of students enrolled in fall 2024 hailed from Michigan.
“It’s a world-class institution. I believe the biggest challenge is, you know, maintaining the institutional greatness of the educational component and the medical component in a constrained budget. But I also believe the university is there to serve the citizens of Michigan, not the other way around,” Meyers said.
“Part of the way that the university has solved their budget crisis so they don’t have to raise tuition as much, is they simply let in more out of state residents that pay significantly more in tuition,” Meyers said.
Additionally Meyers is seeking a position on the board to provide oversight in governance, arguing the board is not as transparent as it should be and pointing to an investigation from the U.S. Department of Education which found U of M failed to assess whether 75 incidents — including those targeting Jewish and Palestinian students amid student protests — had created a hostile environment on campus.
“My belief is, is [the] University of Michigan didn’t have a firm policy in place. They were complacent,” Meyers said.
On June 17, the university announced its commitment to reviewing its existing policies on discrimination and harassment and developing new ones as part of an agreement with the Department of Education.
When asked what efforts U of M should take to support, Meyers argued the university has long suppressed free speech, telling the Advance his daughter had been harassed on campus for supporting former President Donald Trump.
“The university needs to have zero tolerance in the administrative ranks, the teaching ranks, the student ranks, of any type of intolerance towards free speech. And all types of speech needs to be in a peaceful fashion, without degradation, without violence, without threats,” Meyers said.
“I think we need to talk about this stuff more as a community and you know, you can’t have an environment where people are afraid to talk or afraid of retribution, but the university needs to absolutely have zero tolerance towards anybody infringing on someone else’s First Amendment rights,” Meyers said.
In addition to Meyers’ commitments to fighting for affordable tuition and protecting free speech, his campaign website notes his support for excluding transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Shauna Ryder Diggs, Democrat
Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs | Courtesy photo
Previously serving on the Board of Regents from 2012 until 2020, Dermatologist Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs was the first physician to serve on the university’s board, according to her campaign website.
Diggs, a Democrat and U of M alum, chairs the Blue Cross Foundation and is the founder of CosmedicDerm Professional Skin Care.
Diggs’ site notes her commitment for fostering excellence in academic programs, promoting access and affordability and making focused investments into the college’s Dearborn and Flint campuses.
Her priorities also include ensuring free tuition for families of four making under $65,000, fostering an inclusive campus to protect from discrimination and sexual misconduct, investing in technology and supporting the U of M health care system.
Sevag Vartanian, Republican
With more than 30 years in finance, Republican Sevag Vartanian is hoping to bring his experience in asset management and the credit sector to the Board of Regents. He also unsuccessfully ran for the board in 2022.
A 1991 graduate of the University, Vartanian’s website outlines three priorities for the university: principled leadership, diversity of opinion and fiscal discipline.
“Michigan needs new leaders who can preside over a new era of accountability after the sexual abuse scandal,” Vartanian’s website notes, with the university reaching a $490 million settlement in 2022 with more than 1,000 individuals who say they were sexually assaulted by Robert Anderson, a former sports doctor at the university.
“Keeping the same people in place who presided over the scandal will only serve to re-victimize the sexual abuse survivors,” Vartanian’s site reads.
If elected, Vartanian would also support a campus that is more inclusive of conservative opinions. His site also notes the university’s $17 billion endowment, saying the University should examine how to best invest in its future and lower costs for its students.
Third party-candidates
Libertarian Andrew Chadderdon and U.S. Taxpayers Party Nominee Donna Oetman are also seeking a seat on the Board of Regents.
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