Iowa State officially disbands DEI office after state law takes effect

Iowa State University in Ames officially shut down its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office on July 22, which resulted in the elimination of five positions, three of which were vacant at the time of closing. 

The decision involved a combination of factors, such as directives from the university’s board of regents, and legislation that was passed in the spring. In May, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law S.F. 2435, which prevents universities from having DEI offices, DEI-specific employees, and spending any money on DEI initiatives.

[RELATED: [University of Iowa rebrands DEI office following passage of new state law]]

Prior to the bill’s signing, Iowa State announced it would be closing its DEI office in July.

State Rep. Taylor Collins was one of the most vocal supporters of Iowa’s anti-DEI legislation. 

“For too long, the DEI bureaucracies at our institutions of higher education have been used to impose ideological conformity and promote far left political activism … all while spending literally millions in the process,” Collins said last year while promoting S.F. 2435. “They push this woke agenda on faculty. They push it on staff. But most importantly, they push on the students.” 

Iowa State’s most recent vice president for DEI, Sharon Perry Fantini, was hired in December 2021 and reportedly received an annual salary of nearly $250,000. However, Fantini quit in October of 2023 after it became clear that DEI changes were coming at the institution, according to The Gazette. 

“In four cases, business titles were changed to more appropriately reflect the work being done,” university spokesperson Angie Hunt told the outlet. “There was one position where DEI duties were removed from the job profile.”

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“Iowa State has developed recruitment strategies for advancing the diversity of intellectual and philosophical perspectives in faculty and staff applicant pools by advertising some positions in publications that attract intellectually and philosophically diverse audiences,” Hunt also informed The Gazette. “One example of this effort — we advertised the job posting for our next senior vice president and provost in both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.”

Iowa State has also reportedly made changes to its website, switching out a diversity web page to instead highlight its Principles of Community. Listed principles of the school include “Richness of Diversity” and “Freedom from Discrimination.”

Campus Reform has contacted Iowa State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.