Colleges and universities have provided no updates in regards to their efforts to comply with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order terminating diversity, equity and inclusion.
Across the nation, schools have been responding to this executive order entitled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”
The order calls for the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
Additionally, schools are responding to other DEI-terminating federal activity, such as a Jan. 21 executive order calling for the end of DEI ideology and the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter that states race-based decisions in education are unlawful.
Ohio State University, the University of Virginia, the University of Kentucky, the University of Michigan, Case Western Reserve, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Boise State University have dissolved their respective diversity and inclusion offices, The Center Square previously reported.
Meanwhile, George Mason University and Idaho State University have renamed their diversity offices.
The Idaho State Board of Education banned diversity offices across the state’s higher education in December 2024, a resolution that affected the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University and Lewis-Clark State College, The Center Square reported.
Some of the four schools had already made DEI-ending changes prior to the board’s resolution, however.
The University of Cincinnati, the University of Arizona, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Washington, the University of California, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, Brown University, Cornell and the University of Wisconsin–Madison are all evaluating, reviewing, or monitoring Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order, The Center Square previously reported, with no updates to their responses when reached again.
Additionally, both Temple University and the University of Arkansas intend to comply with the law as it concerns DEI, The Center Square previously reported.
The University of Washington Medicine spokeswoman Susan Gregg reiterated to The Center Square UW Medicine’s response to the executive order.
The medical school is “continuing to provide our full spectrum of services,” Gregg said – services that would presumably involve DEI.
UW Medicine is committed to “complying with state and federal law,” Gregg said.
Michigan State University had no update for The Center Square to its previous comment that it “feels confident [it is] continuing to operate within federal and state laws” as it regards its manner of educating and hiring.
Likewise, the University of Connecticut plans to continue operating its diversity office, stating it works to ensure compliance with Title VI, The Center Square reported.
Columbia University previously referred The Center Square to a university announcements webpage when reached for its response to the Jan. 20 executive order. The webpage does not contain information about the executive order.
However, The Center Square previously reported that Columbia removed some DEI content from its website.
The University of Maryland, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and Mayo Clinic School of Medicine each previously told The Center Square they had no comment regarding their responses to the Jan. 20 executive order, with no updates when reached again.
UC Irvine SOM previously said it may have more information “as we learn more,” but has not yet provided further comment.
Emory University “declined to participate” when reached for comment.
The following schools have not yet provided comment after repeated requests concerning each of their responses to the executive order:
HarvardStanfordDukeYalePennNorthwestern UniversityThe University of ChicagoBoston UniversityUC San DiegoIndiana UniversityUniversity of PittsburghCommunity College of Allegheny CountyUniversity of FloridaFlorida State UniversityEast Carolina UniversityUniversity of CincinnatiLouisiana State UniversityUniversity of MississippiUniversity of MinnesotaGeorgia TechGeorgia State UniversityRutgers UniversityOregon State UniversityUniversity of AlabamaTexas A&M UniversityUniversity of Texas at AustinPurdue UniversityCollege of William and MaryUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Colorado BoulderStony Brook UniversitySan Diego State UniversityClemson UniversityUniversity of OklahomaUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstBoise State UniversityBall State UniversityUniversity of New OrleansFerris State UniversityUniversity of IowaLewis-Clark State CollegeIdaho State University
