University of Arizona Prof Faces Dismissal for DEI Exposé

A tenured professor at the University of Arizona says the woke university aims to give him the boot over his lawsuit exposing discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Prof. Matthew Abraham has been battling administrators at his university for years, trying to get an honest assessment of apparently discriminatory policies which the university is reluctant to disclose, and on which courts have refused to press the university. His case is now at the Arizona Supreme Court, and he argues that U of A is out for his position because he challenged woke policies.

“The University of Arizona is seeking to dismiss me from my tenured position in retaliation for my four-year public records lawsuit that is now before the AZ Supreme Court,” Abraham explained to Campus Reform.

Abraham referenced his lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents, aimed at obtaining “records that show how the University deploys DEI principles in the context of hiring for faculty and administrative positions.”

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Unsurprisingly, instead of coming clean and trying to reform, the U of A is much more interested in punishing the professor who aired their dirty laundry. “In addition, the University has truncated the dismissal process with the President delegating his role in the dismissal process to the Provost,” Abraham said. “This delegation of authority introduces structural conflicts into U of A’s dismissal process, as the Provost is now recommending the dismissal and overseeing that process.”

Abraham filed multiple records requests starting in 2018 and going through 2020, seeking documents relative to U of A’s faculty hiring processes, its committee meetings, and its candidate evaluations. Ultimately, U of A did release around 1,700 pages, but not the amount Abraham requested, withholding or redacting the other documents, claiming confidentiality and privacy issues.

Back in 2022, Abraham and some colleagues found themselves excluded from a faculty committee under the allegation of being “problematic,” Campus Reform reported.

The conflict escalated in 2024, when scheduling issues with his law work were turned into a “conflict of commitment” charge. Abraham later discovered irregularities in his department chair’s appointment and raised concerns in a faculty-wide email.
In August 2025, his dean recommended dismissal, accusing him of creating a hostile environment. Abraham has been placed on leave pending review.

The U of A asserted that Abraham demonstrated “insubordination toward administrative superiors” and “misuse of [his] university email account to demean and harass university employees.” Earlier this year, a coalition sent a letter highlighting the DEI allegations and retaliation against Abraham. The letter went to the Arizona Board of Regents, the University of Arizona administration, and the Arizona State Legislature.

The University of Arizona, like so many other major universities, has been wokeified. Perhaps it’s time for the Trump-McMahon Department of Education to investigate the U of A.

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