diversity

DEI Education in America Goes Back to the 18th Century

by Bradford Vivian

The pioneering Quaker educator Benezet implemented student-centered reforms that accounted for differences in background and experiences of injustice, reflecting the spirit, if not the language, of contemporary DEI principles in education and teacher training. 

Jeremi Suri: Texas Higher Ed Conflict "Doesn't Have to Be This Way"

The UT-Austin historian previously worked in Wisconsin when Governor Scott Walker went to war with the university system. He discusses the similarities and differences a decade later in Texas. 

The Labor of Teaching and Administrative Hysteria

by Elise Archias and Blake Stimson

Although diversity and cultural sensitivity administrators often embrace (and arguably encourage) student complaints about ideas presented in the classroom, students are more harmed when administrators use those complaints to undercut the expertise and autonomy of faculty who have effective ways of teaching difficult material.

Higher Ed Institutions Push Diversity to Avoid Dealing with Justice

by Ariana González Stokas

"Beginning with Regents of the University of California v. Bakke in 1978, diversity became a proxy for the real work of remedying persistent and entrenched exclusions based on race and gender."

Statehouse Assaults on Tenure and Diversity are Impacting Hiring at State Universities

"In Florida, some candidates’ concerns are so profound that they’re turning down job offers in the state — despite not having other offers, said Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida, a union representing faculty at all 12 of the state’s public universities, a private one, and community colleges."

As Politicians Attack Campus Diversity Initiatives, HBCU Campuses Wonder How They'll be Affected

Many HBCU students fear that bans on teaching "divisive concepts" could be applied to undermine the historic mission of campuses serving African American students and promoting Black intellectual communities. 

Anti-DEI Bills are Already Changing Higher Ed

Even though many state-level bills banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs have not yet taken effect, many campus administrations appear to have begun complying with the political pressure to roll back existing initiatives. 

Greg Abbott Claims to Boost Texas Universities. Why Is He Attacking Tenure?

Attacks on tenure and diversity programs would threaten the improvements Texas politicians say they want to make in higher education in the state, say faculty advocates. 

A Scholar Revisits Study of Campus Diversity 2 Decades Later

"Higher education has an extremely important role to play in helping people see things differently and in potentially helping to reduce racial inequality. But this requires cross-race interaction."

It's Time to Pivot to Socioeconomic Preferences in Admissions

by Richard D. Kahlenberg

Can admissions preferences to selective colleges for economically less advantaged applicants carry on the justice agenda of Martin Luther King while avoiding the wrath of the Roberts Court and a backlash by middle and working-class whites? 

A Prominent Story about How "Diversity" Entered College Admissions is Wrong

by Charles Petersen

The plaintiffs in a case seeking to outlaw affirmative action in admission policies are relying on a false narrative that "diversity" entered Harvard's admissions criteria as a way to limit the number of Jews admitted. While the existence of Jewish quotas is documented, the two aren't connected. 

Florida Universities on Defensive as State Attacks Diversity Initiatives

Interviews with Miami Herald reporters show the behind-the-scenes work university faculty and staff are weighing how much compliance will be required with new state laws. The DeSantis administration may achieve more performative than substantive results, but uncertainty and anxiety are common on campus. 

Texas Legislation Takes Aim at University DEI Programs

The legislature would prohibit the operation of DEI offices on public campuses in Texas and maintain a list of university staff who violate the law, with consequences for employment. 

Edsall: Florida's Education Legislation Threatens Academic Freedom. Opinions Differ Whether That's Good

by Thomas Edsall

Columnist Thomas Edsall checked in with historian Amna Akbar, a DEI critic, about Florida's education legislation. Akbar isn't a fan, though may conservative think-tank fellows interviewed are. 

The Three Little Letters that Have DeSantis on the Attack

by Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Erica Licht

By defunding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in Florida's colleges, the governor is putting the state out of step with research-driven findings about how institutions and workplaces can incorporate diverse populations like Florida's – students, campuses and employers will pay the price for political posturing. 

Yes, DEI Can Conflict with Academic Freedom—and Academic Freedom Should Win

by Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Aaron Snyder

Many scholars have crafted careful rationales for why free inquiry and formal policies on inclusion can coexist peacefully. The Hamline University incident shows that, in a moment of crisis, administrators won't deliberate, but will follow a policy script in ways that disempower faculty, infantilize students, and become blunt instruments for reactionaries.

Miami Was Once a Model for Diversity Training—But it was Always Controversial

by Catherine Mas

Beginning in the 1970s, Miami-Dade County led the way in exploring ways to train health and human services professionals to interact with the area's diverse populations with respect and effective communication. The conflicts exploited by the "Stop WOKE" Act date back to this period. 

Corporate America Copied the NFL's "Rooney Rule"—But Also its Lack of Enforcement

The NFL teams' agreement to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs always had a fault: nothing happened to teams who abused the process and interviewed candidates with no intention of hiring them. 

The Defeat of Identity Politics

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò argues that the rhetoric of diversity has allowed an "elite capture" of racial justice movements that strips those movements of the impulse to transform society. Historian Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor reviews his new book of essays.

Legal Scholar: "Diversity" a Weak Substitute for Justice, Opened Door to SCOTUS Killing Affirmative Action

by Richard Thompson Ford

The cause of equality was dealt a fatal blow when courts and colleges shifted the focus of affirmative action from fighting racism to promoting diversity, argues legal scholar Richard Thompson Ford.