UMich commits $50M to 'dialogue' center amid violent rhetoric from faculty celebrating Kirk killing
University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso condemned hateful rhetoric from faculty celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination but said the university will not take disciplinary action.
Instead, the university will invest $50 million into its Institute for Civil Discourse, set to open Spring 2026.
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, will not discipline faculty for violent rhetoric celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk and instead will invest $50 million to move forward with its plans to launch an Institute for Civil Discourse.
University President Domenico Grasso announced the decision at a September Board of Regents meeting, stating, “Whereas many institutions respond to offensive comments with short-term personnel actions, we will instead invest $50 million to accelerate the establishment of a permanent University of Michigan center dedicated to diversity of thought and civil discourse.”
The investment in the university’s center for “debate and dialogue” follows the assassination of Kirk while he was holding civil discourse on a university campus during his “American Comeback” tour.
Grasso called it “profoundly troubling” that the assassination of Kirk “occurred on a college campus, where rigorous dialogue should thrive.”
He stressed the importance of the First Amendment, stating, “If we abandon free speech on our campuses, we risk abandoning it for our nation.”
[RELATED: UMich hit with federal civil rights complaint over anti-Semitic course content]
The university president then addressed comments made by professors openly mocking or celebrating the death of Kirk on social media, calling this rhetoric “hateful, cruel, and demeaning” and adding that it “reflected a disturbing side of humanity.”
University of Michigan Assistant Professor Charles H.F. Davis III has drawn criticism online for his statements about Kirk’s assassination.
“Even if you believe violence isn’t the answer, it is a solution,” Davis wrote on X.
He also called Kirk’s death “merely an ironic casualty of the political violence his abhorrent rhetoric and oppressive ideologies routinely encouraged.”
Meet Charles HF Davis III, a professor at Marsal Family School of Education at the university of Michigan.
He made his account private but here are some posts about Charlie Kirk.
“Even if you believe violence isn’t the answer, it is a solution, especially to the violent… pic.twitter.com/fOiXq0dYL5— Mostly Peaceful Latinas (@mplpodcast305) September 17, 2025
Davis’s profile on X includes a watermelon emoji, a known symbol of Palestinian activism. His comments have generated widespread criticism online for appearing to rationalize political violence.
[RELATED: Far-left gun club uses Kirk assassin’s anti-fascist slogan to recruit student members]
Campus Reform also reported that Derek Peterson, chair of the University of Michigan’s faculty senate, issued a university-wide email denouncing Kirk, claiming he posed a threat to “academic freedom.”
Grasso acknowledged the controversy but stated, “Their views, however disturbing or contrary to our values, are protected by our First Amendment.”
He continued, “I have held the First Amendment as sacrosanct: I may disagree with you, but I will forever defend your right to speak out.”
Last December, Campus Reform reported the university’s initial plans to create the Institute for Civil Discourse. Grasso confirmed the institute will open by spring to serve its Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
