Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion work at colleges is under attack. State lawmakers across the nation have passed laws aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion work at public colleges. Here you’ll find a collection of stories, opinion pieces, and advice columns on DEI where can understand what potential DEI policy changes mean for you, and answer questions like:
- What does DEI mean?
- Where are colleges cutting DEI programs or centers>
- Why is DEI under attack at colleges?
Preventative Measures
Dozens of institutions in 2023 and 2024 altered or shuttered diversity offices and programs pre-emptively, as lawmakers and the public increasingly turned against them.
Politics and Race
Legislators want to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, end diversity trainings, banish diversity statements, and censor how professors talk about race, gender, and sexuality in mandatory courses.
Newly Updated
We’ve documented actions taken on dozens of campuses to alter or eliminate jobs, offices, hiring practices, and programs amid mounting political pressure to end identity-conscious recruitment and retention of minority staff and students.
Defending DEI
The lawsuit is higher education’s first major attempt to push back against a deluge of executive actions in the first weeks of the new administration.
The Review | Essay
Here’s how the sector can find its footing.
A Renewed Push
A Sweeping Effort to Reshape Ohio’s Colleges Has Stalled for Years. Now It’s Back, and Even Broader.
Senate Bill 1 takes aim at what happens in the classroom, focusing on “controversial beliefs or policies” and seeking to encourage intellectual diversity.
Data & Policy
The president directed each federal agency to identify up to nine organizations for compliance reviews related to DEI efforts — including colleges with endowments over $1 billion.
Targeting Diversity Efforts
Antidiscrimination and affirmative-action practices at colleges that receive federal aid are no longer required and could be prohibited, several lawyers said.
Law & Policy
The new administration’s clear opposition to DEI could prompt colleges to preemptively revisit their diversity offices and programs.
Academic Freedom
Colleges have 90 days to come up with a plan to get rid of any programs catered to staff and students based on their gender or racial identity.