The University of Michigan found itself at the center of a heated controversy after issuing an official apology following a history professor’s graduation speech that commended pro-Palestinian student demonstrators.
The incident has triggered a wave of criticism from multiple directions, with supporters of Israel demanding cuts to the institution’s funding while others claim university leadership caved to political and financial pressures.
During Saturday’s campus-wide graduation ceremony, Derek R. Peterson, who teaches East African history and serves as the outgoing faculty senate chair, acknowledged “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.”
Peterson’s controversial statement came after he honored Moritz Levi, the university’s first Jewish faculty member, along with other historical figures he described as champions of justice throughout the school’s past.
Video footage of Peterson’s pro-Palestinian remarks quickly spread across social media platforms, prompting sharp criticism from Jewish organizations who claim anti-Israel demonstrations on campus have created a threatening atmosphere for certain students.
University President Domenico Grasso responded the same day with a public apology, declaring the statements “inappropriate and do not represent our institutional position.”
“We regret the pain this has caused on a day devoted to celebration and accomplishment,” Grasso stated, noting that Peterson’s address “deviated from the remarks he had shared before the ceremony.”
The rapid apology failed to satisfy some Republican leaders, including Florida Senator Rick Scott, who demanded the elimination of federal funding for the school. A Republican regent overseeing the public institution also suggested potential disciplinary action against the professor. Prominent Israeli-American businessman Adam Milstein called on Jewish donors to stop contributing to the university.
Peterson defended his statements, describing expectations for non-political graduations as “ridiculous.”
“Michigan is not a finishing school for polite young men and women,” he declared in his response. “They do not need sentimental, cloying nostalgia. They 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 claimed administrators removed his speech from online platforms. A university representative explained the temporary removal resulted from YouTube’s music copyright concerns and confirmed the video was restored.
On Tuesday, a group of academic labor organizations, including the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, released a joint statement criticizing the university’s response.
“Institutional leaders have an obligation not only to tolerate faculty speech, but to defend it — especially in the face of external political pressure,” their letter stated.
The controversial speech occurred two years after Gaza war protests swept college campuses nationwide, causing speech cancellations and other disruptions to traditional graduation ceremonies. Michigan’s campus experienced student encampments and class walkouts in opposition to the conflict.
Several students at American universities have faced consequences in 2025 for attempting to incorporate pro-Palestinian messages into graduation events, including a New York University graduate whose diploma was withheld after delivering remarks critical of Israel.
