Higher Education DEI Efforts are in Trouble. Here’s How We Change That

IDr. Adrianna Kezarn early 2023, I wrote an op-ed for Diverse about the challenges facing DEI efforts due to emerging anti-DEI legislation unfolding in Florida and in other states.  Since then, many more states have followed suit with more than 85 bills restricting higher institutions’ efforts to advance DEI introduced in state legislatures and Congress. Many have become law in close to a third of the States now. The various restrictions in these laws include banning DEI-designated offices or staff, mandatory DEI training, diversity statements and the consideration of race in admissions and hiring. The Trump administration has also adopted this stance.

The most clear articulation of this policy approach is the “Dear Colleague” letter of February 14^th that outlined how race-based scholarships, hiring and exclusive programming, graduations, and housing was illegal and discriminatory. While this letter and legal interpretation has been challenged by the courts, the policy landscape continues to push this same agenda to dismantle DEI efforts. It’s clear to all now that there will be continued cuts to DEI offices and programming and attacks on training and diversity statements in hiring and promotion at both the state and federal levels. 

In 2023, I argued that this attack could be an opportunity. I suggested a move from programming and services largely offered outside the mainstream of campus, to a broader campus culture change where diversity, equity and inclusion were part of normative good practice of educators and by involving a critical mass of faculty, staff and administrators in the work of DEI. We call this approach Shared Equity Leadership (SEL). 

This SEL approach emerged in my research of campuses that have made progress on closing equity gaps and creating culture change where the environment has shifted to support people from historically- marginalized backgrounds. I noted how most DEI efforts have largely not been institutionalized, nor integrated, on most campuses and remained siloed — therefore, not impacting the overall campus environment. I predicted that these efforts to “cut” DEI by these political leaders were likely to be successful. And unfortunately, they have been.

But it does not have to be this way! Right now, we can do two key things that will help to save DEI on campuses all over the country.  Campuses need to stop acquiescing their commitments to what we know are positive educational approaches and start being proactive to save diversity, equity and inclusion values.

But that does not necessarily mean fighting to save existing DEI programs and services. It means looking at your approach in an entirely new way and removing the silos and integrating DEI into educators’ roles and building a culture in support of the work.