Dozens of Michigan State students have protested outside a forum attended by former President Bill Clinton, demanding that the school take steps such as creating a Department of African American and African Studies.
University President Lou Anna Simon left Clinton's speech Wednesday night to talk to the protesters, who are concerned about institutional racism on campus.
Hundreds of people attending Clinton's talk were blocked from entering the Kellogg Center banquet hall by the protesters and were diverted into the room a different way.
The students want higher enrollment from urban areas and a boost in tenure-stream faculty researching black politics.
Clinton did not directly address the protest in his speech but noted that many protest groups, including on campuses, involve people "who feel they are not seen, much less heard."