STURGE: The death of DEI started in 2024 and will accelerate in 2025
Though the Department of Education has spent over $1 billion on DEI grants since 2021, the incoming Trump administration is poised to cut federal spending and potentially abolish the department.
As 2025 approaches, it’s clear that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is in decline on college campuses.
Campus Reform has reported a widespread trend of anti-DEI legislation in higher education in states like Florida, Texas, and Utah.
Though the Department of Education has spent over $1 billion on DEI grants since 2021, the incoming Trump administration is poised to cut federal spending and potentially abolish the department.
Here are five examples of DEI already in retreat in 2024:
1. University of Michigan says it will ‘no longer solicit’ diversity statements for faculty employment
The University of Michigan will “no longer solicit” diversity statements for faculty hiring, promotion or tenure.
A faculty working group at the institution recommends that diversity statements shouldn’t be used, as they can “limit freedom of expression and diversity of thought on campus.”
The University of Michigan has long been known for its DEI spending, recently spending over $100,000 to hold its annual ”DEI Summit” and almost $2,000 on an espresso machine.
2. Florida International pulls 22 DEI-based courses from core curriculum to comply with state law
Florida International University (FIU) cut nearly two dozen courses from the core curriculum, including “Anthropology of Race & Ethnicity” and “Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies” to comply with a state law banning the teaching of divisive topics that Governor DeSantis signed in 2023.
The law also stipulates that Florida’s public universities must eliminate taxpayer-funded DEI spending on courses, employees, and initiatives. to comply with this law. In January 2023, Campus Reform reported that Florida’s public universities had spent $15 million on DEI and Critical Race Theory.
3. UT Austin scans website in audit to remove prohibited DEI-related events
The University of Texas at Austin now audits its website for DEI-related words to find programs or events being advertised that are not currently allowed under state law, which prohibits the promotion of DEI-based programming, offices, and trainings on campuses.
In compliance with the state’s DEI ban, Campus Reform reported that UT Austin eliminated around 60 staff positions and will no longer offer identity-based graduation ceremonies like “Black Graduation,” “Latinx Graduation,” and “GraduAsian.”
4. Study co-led by Rutgers shows that DEI initiatives can increase division and hostility
A new study co-led by Rutgers University argues that DEI initiatives can be counterproductive and harmful, defeating its own purpose by increasing division and distrust.
In 2023, Campus Reform reported that Rutgers spent a total of $4,065,000 on DEI expenses related to the Senior Vice President of University Equity and Inclusion.
The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents adopted changes to combat DEI ideology and strengthen academic integrity across its campuses.
Georgia’s DEI rollback follows years of DEI spending. For example, Georgia Southern University’s College of Science and Mathematics used a $493,065 grant to advance DEI in the sciences.
