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From: Fernanda Zamudio-Suarez
Subject: Race on Campus: Diversity officers dig their heels in
Diversity officers ready to advocate for their work, despite the risks.
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Diversity officers ready to advocate for their work, despite the risks. Diversity officers, many of whom were hired by colleges just a few years ago, have spent the last few years fielding attacks from state and federal lawmakers and trying to justify their existence. They are now seeing jobs being cut, departments being eliminated, and student-support programs ending, among other things. Still, at the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education’s annual conference, many officers pledged to keep fighting. Our Katherine Mangan reports from the scene.
Ibram X. Kendi has a new position at Howard University. Not all faculty members are thrilled. The faculty found out about Kendi’s appointment when the world did. Kendi, author of the bestseller How to Be an Antiracist and former head of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, will lead a new Institute of Advanced Study at Howard. The official process to hire him will come later. These moves — not giving advance notice and delaying the faculty-hiring process — irk some faculty members who were already upset at administrators. And some wonder whether Kendi is using Howard for a reputational makeover. Our Jasper Smith has the story.
In President Trump’s first weeks, colleges are quickly shuttering DEI efforts. In his first few weeks in office, President Trump signed two executive orders to eliminate “discriminatory and illegal” diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The Chronicle has monitored changes at more than 40 colleges since Inauguration Day. Though the changes vary, we found that several institutions had closed offices and canceled events, deleted DEI-related language from university communications, and removed websites with DEI resources from public view. Our Christa Dutton has more.
