The University of Michigan apologized after Professor Derek Peterson, the outgoing Faculty Senate chair, praised pro-Palestinian student activists during Saturday’s spring commencement ceremony in Ann Arbor, prompting criticism from university leaders, Jewish groups, and candidates for the school’s Board of Regents.
Peterson, a history and African studies professor, used part of his address to place recent pro-Palestinian activism in a longer history of student movements at the university. Peterson referred to “pro-Palestinian student activists” who, over the past two years, had drawn attention to what he called the “injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza.” The remarks drew cheers at the ceremony and criticism soon afterward.
University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso said Peterson’s comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were “hurtful and insensitive to many members of our community.” Grasso said Peterson “deviated from the remarks he had shared before the ceremony” and that the comments were “inappropriate and do not represent our institutional position.”
Grasso said commencement should be a moment of “celebration, recognition and unity,” not a platform for personal political expression. He said the university would review future commencement programming, but no disciplinary action was announced.
Regent Sarah Hubbard, writing on social media, called the remarks “incredibly troubling and disappointing” and said the Board of Regents should discuss how to set expectations for faculty conduct. Republican regent candidates Michael Schostak and Lena Epstein said in a joint statement that commencement “should not become a stage for political activism that leaves students feeling excluded or uncomfortable.”
Peterson defended the speech, telling CBS News Detroit that “the idea that graduations should be apolitical is ridiculous” and that students should be encouraged to face controversy rather than avoid it.
