Grand Valley State University’s Frederik Meijer Honors College restructured admissions and its academic focus around a social-justice framework. Emails from 2022 show leadership sidelined traditional essays—citing cultural barriers for BIPOC applicants—and shifted toward community-based letters and an overt social-justice curriculum to boost diversity.
According to newly released internal emails from 2022, Honors College officials proposed scrappping traditional application essays in favor of “letters of support,” arguing some BIPOC students view self-promotion as culturally insensitive. Interim Associate Dean Melanie Shell-Weiss wrote that the college should “obviously and overtly orient the curriculum and co-curriculum toward social justice.” Recruitment strategies reportedly included encouraging word-of-mouth outreach by diverse students and emphasizing inclusivity and community building.
These initiatives come amid a federal investigation into GVSU’s admissions practices. In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation following a complaint by the Equal Protection Project. The complaint alleges the university offered at least 11 scholarships that discriminate based on race or national origin, potentially violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause.
GVSU previously denied allegations that race played a role in its honors admissions and scholarships, asserting broad access for students of color and legal compliance.
