- A retired U-M professor has spearheaded a massive effort to file formal complaints against programs for women and students of color
- The professor says the programs violate federal civil rights laws
- Some hail his efforts, calling him ‘relentless.’ Others say he is working to undo progress for people historically marginalized in higher education
Five years ago, the president of a small Minnesota university got a standing ovation after announcing the first George Floyd Memorial Scholarship and challenging other academic leaders to do the same.
Soon after, many colleges followed the lead of North Central University in Minneapolis and created a scholarship for Black students honoring Floyd, a Black man murdered by a white police officer.
One person who wasn’t applauding was Mark Perry, then a University of Michigan–Flint professor. He filed nearly a dozen complaints against the Floyd scholarships with the US Department of Education that eventually led several colleges to change their eligibility…