31 US Colleges End Partnership with Diversity Initiative
Thirty-one American colleges have agreed to end their partnerships with the PhD Project, an initiative focused on diversifying business school faculty. The move is part of a broader federal crackdown on race-based programming, highlighting the complex legal and compliance environment universities are currently navigating.
- The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) initiated investigations into 45 universities for their collaboration with the PhD Project. This led to 31 institutions signing resolution agreements to terminate their partnerships. - The investigation concluded that the universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by partnering with an organization that allegedly discriminates on the basis of race. The PhD Project's stated mission is to help Black, Hispanic, and Native American professionals earn PhDs and become business school faculty. - This action is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to challenge Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education, which it argues can exclude white and Asian American students. The administration has threatened to withdraw federal funding from institutions with non-compliant race-based programs. - Founded in 1994, the PhD Project reports it has assisted over 1,500 members in earning their doctoral degrees to diversify business school faculty. Following the investigation, the organization has faced significant financial difficulties due to the loss of university partners. - In response to the federal pressure, the PhD Project has removed race and ethnicity from its application criteria. Meanwhile, the 31 universities have also agreed to review their partnerships with other external organizations to ensure they comply with Title VI. - This development follows the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard*, which curtailed the use of race as a factor in college admissions and has led to an increase in legal challenges against DEI programs nationwide. - Several of the universities involved, including Arizona State University and the University of Michigan, ended their relationships with the PhD Project shortly after the investigation was launched to avoid potential loss of federal funding. - Negotiations are reportedly still underway with 14 other universities that were part of the initial investigation.
