University apology follows commencement remarks at Michigan
The University of Michigan issued a formal apology after a history professor used a universitywide commencement speech to praise pro-Palestinian student protesters, drawing backlash from Jewish groups and criticism from some Republican officials. The remarks and the university’s response set off a broader dispute about what role, if any, political advocacy should play in commencement addresses and campus governance.
At the ceremony on Saturday, Derek R. Peterson, an East African history professor and outgoing chair of the faculty senate, credited “pro-Palestinian student activists who have over these past two years opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza.” He said the comments followed earlier remarks he made in which he praised Moritz Levi and other figures he described as advancing causes of justice through the university’s history.
Within hours of the speech circulating online, Jewish groups condemned the portion addressing pro-Palestinian protesters. The groups alleged that campus protests against Israel had created a hostile environment for some students.
Michigan President Domenico Grasso then issued a public apology, saying the remarks did not reflect the university’s institutional position. Grasso said, “We regret the pain this has caused on a day devoted to celebration and accomplishment,” and added that Peterson’s speech “deviated from the remarks he had shared before the ceremony,” according to the university’s statement.
The university’s apology did not end political calls for consequences, the story said. Florida Sen. Rick Scott called for the school to be stripped of federal funding, and a Republican member of the state’s Board of Regents—which governs the public university—hinted at possible discipline for the professor. Israeli-American investor Adam Milstein also urged Jewish people to halt donations to the school.
Peterson, however, said he stood by the comments and rejected the idea that the event should remain apolitical. In a statement, he called it “ridiculous” to expect graduations to be apolitical, and said, “Michigan is not a finishing school for polite young men and women,” adding that graduates “need encouragement to face a flawed and unjust world head on, using the tools we’ve given them: critical reasoning, careful research, sympathy for the oppressed.”
Peterson also accused the administration of removing the speech from public access online. A university spokesperson said it had been temporarily removed by YouTube over a music copyright issue and that it was back online.
A coalition of academic labor organizations weighed in as well. In a joint letter published Tuesday, groups including the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers condemned the university’s statement and said institutional leaders have an obligation “not only to tolerate faculty speech, but to defend it — especially in the face of external political pressure.”
The episode comes as protests tied to the war in Gaza have disrupted commencement routines on some campuses and intensified debate over speech and institutional responses. The story said Michigan students formed a campground and walked out from classes in protest of the war, and it noted that universities elsewhere have seen disciplinary actions connected to efforts to highlight pro-Palestinian issues at graduations, including a New York University graduate whose diploma was withheld after a speech criticizing Israel.