In a significant development, more than 50 universities are currently facing investigations for alleged racial discrimination. This initiative is part of President Donald Trump’s broader campaign aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, which his administration claims marginalize white and Asian American students. The U.S. Department of Education announced the new investigations on a Friday, following a memo issued a month prior that warned educational institutions they could risk losing federal funding due to “race-based preferences” in areas such as admissions, scholarships, or any aspect of student life.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized the need for students to be evaluated based on their merit and accomplishments rather than preconceived notions tied to skin color. In her statement, she asserted, “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.” This declaration reflects the administration's firm stance against practices they perceive as discriminatory.
The majority of the current inquiries are directed towards colleges that have affiliations with the PhD Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting students from underrepresented groups in obtaining business degrees. The goal of this initiative is to foster greater diversity within the business sector. However, Education Department officials argue that the PhD Project restricts eligibility based on race, which they claim constitutes race-exclusionary practices in graduate programs.
Among the 45 colleges under scrutiny for their connections to the PhD Project are several prominent institutions, including major public universities like Arizona State, Ohio State, and Rutgers, alongside elite private schools such as Yale, Cornell, Duke, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In response to the investigations, Ohio State University issued a statement affirming its commitment to non-discrimination. The university declared, “We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or any other protected class, and our PhD programs are open to all qualified applicants.” Meanwhile, the PhD Project has not responded to requests for comment regarding these allegations.
In addition to the scrutiny surrounding the PhD Project, six other colleges are being investigated for providing “impermissible race-based scholarships.” The institutions under investigation include Grand Valley State University, Ithaca College, New England College of Optometry, University of Alabama, University of Minnesota, University of South Florida, and University of Oklahoma at Tulsa. It is important to note that an initial press release from the Education Department mistakenly identified the University of Tulsa as one of the institutions under investigation.
The memo issued by the Trump administration on February 14 marked a significant expansion of a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that prohibited colleges from considering race in admissions processes. While that decision primarily addressed admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the Education Department has indicated it will interpret the ruling to ban race-based policies in all educational settings, including both K-12 schools and higher education.
Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, highlighted concerns that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have been “smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline.” This memo, however, is facing challenges in federal lawsuits from the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions. The lawsuits contend that the memo is overly vague and infringes upon the free speech rights of educators.
