What’s New
The accrediting group that oversees about 170 colleges in California and Hawaii is considering cutting the words “commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion” from the standards that its member colleges must meet.
The WASC Senior College and University Commission is considering the changes as conservative lawmakers at both the state and federal level consider ways to curb the authority of accreditors and eliminate any consideration of DEI on college campuses.
President-elect Donald J. Trump, for example, has vowed to “fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics” and replace them with groups that promote nationalist ideology. Trump and his supporters have blamed accreditors for using their leverage, as gatekeepers of federal financial aid, to force colleges to adopt practices associated with DEI, even if they conflict with a college’s religious mission or, in the case of public colleges, the will of state lawmakers.
But the proposed changes have alarmed Jeremy C. Young, program director of Freedom to Learn at PEN America, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for free speech and academic freedom.
The commission’s actions, Young wrote in a news release, create the perception that the commission “is bowing to political pressure and abandoning its nonpartisan mission to uphold the quality and autonomy of higher education institutions.”
In an interview, Young said the accreditor is free to make whatever changes suit its members, but that the timing of this effort is sure to be seen as a way to comply in advance of demands from the incoming administration.
Jamienne S. Studley, president of the Western Commission, said the proposed changes are not a sign the association is backing away from its commitments to DEI, but a way to clarify that the accreditation standards are not meant to be limited only to students who identify as racial minorities.
In addition, she said, the word “commitment” confused some member colleges, and the proposal would put the focus back on the outcome of student success.
The commission’s executive committee will consider the revisions at a meeting on December 17, Studley said, and it could choose to accept or reject those changes or make minor changes.
The Details
The commission’s current standards, approved in 2022, require its members to show their commitment to DEI in all four of the main standards, which govern broad institutional characteristics, such as mission, student success, finances, and organizational structure.
Under the current standards, for example, colleges must promote “the success of all students” and make explicit their “commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The proposed changes would instead require each member institution to promote “institutional excellence and success for all students.”
In a written statement to The Chronicle, the commission explained that it will still “expect institutions to address student success through program design and analysis, attention to practices and policies that promote or inhibit student success, and allocation of institutional attention and resources.”
The Backdrop
The Western Commission is one of six major accrediting bodies that require their members to assess how colleges serve historically underrepresented students, including students who may be challenged by factors outside their ethnic or racial characteristics, such as those who are low-income, working parents, or military veterans.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which oversees some 750 colleges in 11 states, does not have a DEI standard for its members; rather, it has a position statement that expresses the association’s stance on the issue, but it is optional for institutions.
The Western Commission’s proposed changes comes as higher education faces a broader reckoning over colleges’ efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for students, staff, and faculty members. Lawmakers in a dozen states have passed laws to prohibit colleges from having DEI offices or staff; requiring diversity training; using diversity statements in hiring and promotion; or considering race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions or employment.
The incoming presidential administration and Republican-controlled Congress could attempt to pass laws or new regulations that would bar accreditors from enforcing DEI standards. The administration could also threaten to remove the recognition of accrediting agencies, after forcing them to undergo a lengthy administrative review.
While it’s unlikely any accreditor actually will lose recognition, the next administration is poised to create deep challenges both for accrediting agencies and colleges that continue to embrace DEI efforts.
What To Look For
The Western Commission has traditionally been a leader in promoting diversity among its members. The question now is whether other accreditors will follow its example to eliminate DEI language in their standards.
Young, at PEN America, said if the accreditor isn’t clear and convincing in its reasoning, that could cause a wider abandonment of institutional autonomy and efforts to support students who have traditionally been excluded in higher education.
Studley acknowledged that the language of DEI had become a political hot button, but said the commission can better achieve its aims without forcing colleges to trip over the specific terminology.
“The three words were not serving us well,” she said, “and if we were eventually going to have to change them, why not do it now?”
Even with good intentions, erasing the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” from the standards is “disappointing” and could undermine the efforts of colleges, said a letter to the accreditor from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
“The words are not hollow,” the association wrote. “Their purpose is well understood because of the role they play in ensuring that the higher education enterprise is one that is open, fair, and equitable for all.”
