Who Will Champion DEI?
Preview:
In an age when unprecedented governmental intimidation is forcing major universities to eliminate DEI programs, imposing shocking financial penalties for resistance, who will champion sustaining a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion?
The current political administration has embarked on an aggressive campaign to wipe out any semblance of DEI practices, claiming that DEI is illegal. This is simply not true, and yet one major university after another has bowed down to the commands of the overlords. This abject response, given ostensibly in a futile effort to protect the economic interests of the institutions, betrays higher education’s moral commitments to our students, faculty, staff and alumni — particularly those who are persons of color, or women, or immigrants, or who identify as LGBTQ, or who are marginalized in so many ways by the dominant culture. In the most diverse society the world has ever known, supporting diverse student populations in college is both a moral imperative and a social necessity for our nation’s future.
Originally published: July 23, 2025
Author: Patricia McGuire
Position: President
Institution: Trinity Washington University
Published by: Diverse Issues in Higher Education