CU Boulder requires applicants for 'Conservative Thought and Policy' job to profess commitment to DEI

Editor’s note: this article has been updated to include clarifying comments from Daniel Jacobson, Director of the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, which hosts the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy.

The University of Colorado at Boulder is requiring a Diversity and Inclusion Statement to apply as a Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy.

CU Boulder announced on its job board on August 1 that it was hiring a Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy for the 2024-2025 year. However, in order for an individual to submit an application for the visiting scholar position, he or she is required to include a Diversity and Inclusion Statement alongside a resume and cover letter.

In a statement to Campus Reform, Daniel Jacobson, Director of the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, clarified why the listing includes a diversity statement requirement.

”The answer is simple: Because we cannot post a job ad for teaching faculty without it,” he said. “We’ve been informed that this is a university requirement. We would not do so otherwise. That doesn’t mean we have to use it, let alone use it as an ideological litmus test. We do not do that.”

”Our mission is to promote intellectual and political diversity on campus, and we do that,” he added. “We happen to have hired a ‘diverse’ collection of scholars as well, but that is because of their scholarship and not their identity.

The Benson Center hosts the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy.

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“The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for the position of Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy,” the job description states. “We seek a highly visible individual who is deeply engaged in either the analytical scholarship or practice of conservative thought and policymaking, or both.”
The “key responsibilities” for the position include expectations to “continue an open and vigorous dialogue on campus featuring the principles of conservatism in historical and contemporary contexts,” noting that “Specific duties include teaching undergraduate courses, delivering public lectures, and organizing visiting speakers and events.”

According to the University of Pennsylvania, diversity statements are meant to detail how a person plans to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with past experiences and activities with diversity.

CU Boulder states on the job listing that it is “an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce.” The university also states that it does not discriminate on the basis of political affiliation, or political philosophy in employment in its educational programs and activities.

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CU Boulder’s position of Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy has existed since 2013. According to CU Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano, the position was created because, “the Visiting Scholar will contribute to the diversity of thought on campus by encouraging debate and discussion.”

“Our aim is to promote a lively and balanced conversation that respects both conservative and liberal ideals, thus fostering the full diversity of political, economic and philosophical perspectives on the CU Boulder campus,” the listing adds.

The positions for Visiting Scholar have been held by many notable conservatives. John Eastman, who founded the Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence was a Visiting Scholar from 2020-2021. Other Berkeley law professor Steven F. Hayward, Hillsdale College Historian Bradley J. Birzer, and professor and former Pennsylvania State Representative Colleen Sheehan.

Campus Reform will update this article with additional comments from relevant parties, if received.

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