Back in April, I brought you the story of the University of Texas closing its DEI office. That decision came in the aftermath of a law that the state’s legislature passed requiring universities to shut down diversity departments.
This week, another Southern university is doing the same thing, only the University of Kentucky is giving its DEI office the heave-ho in anticipation of what the Bluegrass State’s legislature may do next year. The move won’t result in job losses because the university is restructuring the office and moving it into another department to tackle different initiatives.
“The action on the Lexington, Kentucky, campus comes after state lawmakers debated whether to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at public universities,” reports the Associated Press. “Republican supermajorities in the Kentucky House and Senate were unable to resolve differences on the issue before ending this year’s session in April, but the matter has been expected to resurface when lawmakers reconvene early next year.”
University President Eli Capilouto wrote a campuswide email announcing the decision. He said that reassigning the DEI department to other priorities safeguards academic freedom while maintaining a “sense of belonging” for students and faculty.
“But we’ve also listened to policymakers and heard many of their questions about whether we appear partisan or political on the issues of our day and, as a result, narrowly interpret things solely through the lens of identity,” Capilouto wrote. “In so doing, the concern is that we either intentionally or unintentionally limit discourse. I hear many of those concerns reflected in discussions with some of our students, faculty, and staff across our campus.”
“In outlining the restructuring at UK, the university will not mandate centralized diversity training at the college or unit level, Capilouto said,” the AP reports. “It won’t place required diversity statements in hiring and application processes, he said, and websites will be free of political positions to ensure impartiality.”
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Meanwhile, nearly 800 miles away, the University of Nebraska is also doing away with its DEI offices. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced the decision in a letter. There’s another twist to Bennett’s decision; he’s the first black person to hold the office of chancellor at the University of Nebraska.
“I fully grasp the weight of this decision and its implications, but a centralized approach to this work is no longer right for our institution,” Bennett wrote. He said that the university will shift its goal of “supporting and building a sense of community and belonging” to other departments.
“It is incumbent on each of us to foster a welcoming environment for all members of our community,” he wrote.
Bennett became chancellor last year, and his predecessor spoke out against the state legislature’s intent to enact legislation to ban university DEI departments last year. The legislative effort failed.
We’ve seen corporations shifting away from DEI, and universities are beginning to make similar moves. Hopefully, it won’t take long for DEI to become a relic of the past.
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