University of Alabama System ends DEI offices ahead of anti-DEI law taking effect

The University of Alabama System will terminate its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices following the passage of a state law that cracks down on DEI programs.

The University of Alabama System revealed Tuesday that the main University of Alabama campus at Tuscaloosa, as well as the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, will be shuttering their DEI initiatives. 

S.B. 129, Alabama’s anti-DEI bill signed into law on March 20, bans “divisive concepts” that teach that “any race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.” 

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said at the time: “My Administration has and will continue to value Alabama’s rich diversity, however, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses – or wherever else for that matter – to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds, to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe.”

[RELATED: Sociology professor says ‘attacks’ on DEI in higher ed ‘threaten democracy,’ blames Campus Reform, others]

The University of Alabama’s decision to shut down its DEI offices preempted the law’s taking effect on Oct. 1. 

“In accordance with SB129, UAB has closed the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” a spokesperson for the University of Alabama at Birmingham told Campus Reform. “Additional compliance efforts will be ongoing, and we will be fully compliant with Alabama Act 2024-34 (SB 129) when it goes into effect on October 1.”

“Among other changes to ensure compliance, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has closed,” the University of Alabama in Huntsville stated on its website on Tuesday. “All campus activities and resources will comply with Alabama Act 2024-34 (formerly SB 129) by the Oct. 1 enforcement date.”

The web page dedicated to “diversity” on the University of Alabama website appears to have been taken down. Previously, it highlighted a “Strategic Plan” for “enriching UA’s learning and work environment by providing an accepting, inclusive community that attracts and supports a diverse faculty, staff and student body.”

The University of Alabama also announced that it will create a new department entitled the “Division of Opportunities, Connections and Success.”

“Acknowledging that different individuals may have different barriers to success in higher education, this division supports opportunities for students across campus, regardless of differences of backgrounds or opinions,” said UA Vice President Christine Taylor, who previously worked as a DEI official at the school and will now head the new Division. 

[RELATED: TX university replaces DEI office after statewide ban with ‘Office of Campus and Community Belonging’]

The UAB spokesperson also told Campus Reform that the school’s Birmingham campus will also “launch a new UAB unit - The Office of Access and Engagement - which is a new entity with a new function that will broadly serve all members of the campus community.”

Similarly, The University of Alabama in Huntsville will also found a new office, the Office of Access, Connections, and Engagement.

The University of Alabama System is not the only institution of higher education to comply with the anti-DEI legislation. 

On May 22, Jacksonville State University announced that it will close its DEI office ahead of S.B. 129’s taking effect, making it the first Alabama higher education institution to shutter its own DEI efforts. 

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Alabama, Alabama State University, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.