Topline
The University of North Carolina’s board of governors repealed the state school system’s diversity, equity and inclusion policy (DEI) on Thursday, joining a growing list of schools eliminating programs intended to boost representation for historically underrepresented minority groups, as right-wing lawmakers, some university donors and billionaires push back on DEI.
Key Facts
North Carolina: The statewide University of North Carolina system with a flagship in Chapel Hill will no longer require each school to submit annual DEI reports, after its board voted to repeal the program, which has a stated goal of “foster[ing] an inclusive environment,” replacing it with a new system called “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.”
The new program purports to “ensure equality of all persons and viewpoints,” though it also nixes key fixtures of the DEI policy and complies with new amendments to a bill that passed the state legislature—though Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed—limiting what can be taught on race, racism and sex in state schools.
The move comes just weeks after the UNC board voted to divert $2.3 million away from DEI programs, and follows a group of schools and state governments doing away with DEI.
Florida: The University of Florida gutted its DEI program in March to comply with a state law limiting public funding for DEI, eliminating over a dozen campus positions, including in its chief diversity officer’s office, with Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis responding by calling DEI “toxic,” saying he “hope[s] more states follow suit.”
Texas: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill last year banning DEI programs on state college campuses, resulting in over 300 layoffs across the state university system, NBC News reported.
Utah: Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law in January a prohibition against DEI training and hiring initiatives at state universities, later arguing in a February essay the new law wasn’t racist, saying he “care[s] deeply about our brown kids and our [B]lack kids.”
The University of Wyoming: The school eliminated its DEI office earlier this week to comply with a new state law cutting $1.7 million from the school’s budget earmarked for DEI programs, though school President Ed Seidel pushed back on the elimination, saying he had “heard from our community that many of the services that might have incorrectly been categorized under DEI are important for the success of our students, faculty and staff.”
Iowa: State schools, including Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, rolled back on DEI programs in response to a new anti-DEI law, cutting offices and positions at the state schools.
Kansas: State lawmakers voted on a bill this month to ban DEI statements in student admissions and faculty hirings at public universities, with Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Ks., signing it into law.
Idaho: A state law enacted in March bans public universities from mandating students and employees to submit so-called diversity statements that include information on prospective students’ race or ethnicity.
Oklahoma University: The school’s former DEI office changed its name to the “Division of Access and Opportunity” in February with its staff members embracing new roles after the state’s GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order for a review of DEI in higher education.
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Key Background
While initiatives to promote diversity in higher education date back decades, those programs grew nationwide after the murder of George Floyd, and the ensuing protests. The programs expanded at schools but also in the corporate world. Groups like the NAACP say these programs are “necessary to reaching important organizational goals, and eliminating the scourge of racism and discrimination.” But lawmakers primarily on the right have gone on the offensive in recent years, criticizing them as prioritizing minority populations at the expense of white students and job applicants. Universities also took a hit in their diversity and inclusion efforts in admissions last June, when the Supreme Court ruled colleges can no longer use race as a factor in the admissions process, effectively gutting affirmative action.
Contra
DEI opponents, including a group of university donors led by billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, have argued the programs unfairly promote some students over others. Ackman claimed DEI was responsible for Harvard University’s hiring of President Claudine Gay, who took heat for her response to pro-Palestinian protests last year, and eventually resigned. Billionaire Tesla, X and SpaceX head Elon Musk has also criticized the programs, claiming their intention “was to end discrimination,” but that they “replace[d] it with different discrimination,” and arguing DEI is the “definition of racism.”
Tangent
Large corporations have also cut back on DEI programs, including at Google and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Both tech giants have downsized their DEI programs, though a Meta spokesperson told CNBC in December its “commitment to DEI remains at the center of who we are as a company.” DoorDash, Lyft, the Home Depot and X have also slashed their DEI teams in 2023 and 2024, according to Revelio Labs data obtained by The Washington Post, with some companies embracing a strategy of “quiet cutting” to eliminate those positions.
