University of Minnesota president reaffirms support for DEI amid Trump admin's rollback

The president of the University of Minnesota System has reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) despite the Trump administration’s rollback of such policies.

President Rebecca Cunningham emailed members of the university community to clarify that no changes to DEI policy and personnel are expected to be made. She even notes that DEI is not only “ingrained” in the Minnesota system’s values, but that it is also “advances and elevates our mission.”

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”As President, I am writing to address any confusion and reaffirm my—and the University’s—longstanding commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment that best supports the needs of each and every individual across our five campuses, regardless of their citizenship status,” Cunningham states.

”To further clarify, we have not rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Minnesota, and we are not making any preemptive changes to our existing programs,” she says. 

Cunningham also mentions the importance of international students, and provides a link to a university web page that shows university immigration policies, including resources and FAQs concerning “immigration status,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and “undocumented” students, among other topics.

While Cunningham does write that campus police “do not have a role in enforcing federal civil immigration laws,” she also notes that the university system will “monitor ongoing developments in Washington, D.C.”

The UMN system oversees five campuses, including the state’s flagship university in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The Twin Cities campus features an Office for Diversity and Inclusion that offers various DEI-based resources, programs and scholarships. Within the office are multiple identity-based “units,” such as the Circle of Indigenous Nations, the Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life, and the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence.

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One of President Trump’s first executive orders since reentering office, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” specifically rebukes DEI practices as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral,” as well as contrary to federal civil rights protections.

”Illegal DEI and [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility] policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” the president writes. “Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex.”