The Ministry of Education’s Civil Rights Office conducted an investigation into 51 universities on Friday, accusing them of violating Chapter 6 of the Civil Rights Act proposed in a letter from a dear colleague of the department, which warned the college that all racially focused programs and policies would be considered illegal.
“The department is working to redirect civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in a statement. “Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure that universities do not distinguish students based on race and racial stereotypes.”
All except six surveys revolve around the university’s partnership or support for PhD programs, a nonprofit organization that connects potential business doctoral candidates from underrepresented backgrounds with academic networks and hosts recruitment activities for business school teachers, according to the department’s statement. The Ministry of Education said in a statement that the organization “restricted eligibility based on the race of participants.”
A spokesperson for the PhD program told Internal Advanced ED The organization “builds a broader talent pipeline for current and future business leaders through networks, mentoring and unique activities.”
The spokesman also said they changed the membership requirement “this year” to “anyone who shares that vision” but did not say exactly when the change will be made. The snapshot of the organization’s website was captured on the Wayback machine two weeks ago and showed different languages, including a homepage section titled “We believe inclusion is crucial” and has since been scrubbed.
The OCR is also investigating five other universities that allegedly use race in scholarship eligibility requirements. The department said an institution was included in a “program to manage race-based students.”
The representative of the education department did not answer Internal Advanced ED Timely publish.
Internal Advanced ED Also contacted with two agencies under investigation, their responses vary. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Carnegie Mellon University said they have not formally notified any complaints of OCR and are waiting for more information to determine how to comply with the investigation.
A spokesman for Notre Dame, who is still listed as a PhD program partner, said the university “according to the law, in no way, is practice or tolerating discrimination.”
The spokesperson added: “As a Catholic university, we are completely committed to defending the dignity of everyone and ensuring that everyone thrives.”
At least one university on the list has terminated its partnership with the PhD program. A spokesman for Arizona State University said business schools “will not support it” [faculty] Head to the upcoming PhD program meeting. ”
“The school has also not financially supported the PhD program organization this year,” the spokesperson added.
A spokesman for Ithaca College, one of five institutions accused of restricting eligibility for racial scholarships, denied that the scholarship cited by the ministry violated Chapter 6. The department targeted two scholarships: the African Latino Association Memorial Scholarship and the Rashad G. Richardson “I Can Realize” Memorial Scholarship, a spokesman said. Both recognize students who work with the College’s BIPOC Unity Center, but do not list any racial eligibility requirements on their respective pages.
OCR’s letter of dear colleagues issued last month aims to greatly expand the scope of Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling Fair Admissions Students Vo Harvard University and University of North Carolina Chapel HillFrom one that focuses directly on the policies and practices of the Admissions Office to the advocacy ordinance for the illegality of all educational programs that consider race.
After that, the university has been struggling to understand how to comply with such a wide range of tasks, even if it is legally required. Many have made surface-level changes, changed the name of the program, and scrubbed the language websites related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some people go further, eliminate DEI offices, close housing for student groups or cut race-based scholarships.
Jon Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations and national engagement at the U.S. Board of Education, said the investigation was “a cause of concern” for higher education institutions that might think they fit into the letter of dear colleagues. But he said the institutions should not panic.
“This is obvious [the administration’s] The first efforts to enforce the SFFA interpretation, rather than the majority of legal scholars accepting the meaning of the case. “I think schools understand, especially after SFFA, what is the benefit of race-based disallowing students… In my opinion, in these cases, they may be firmly defending their actions. ”
Crosshair recruitment
The PhD program has been the goal of conservative activists in the past. In January, Christopher Rufo was a determined anti-wear crusader, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed the new college board in 2023 – a focus on institutions participating in the organization’s annual recruitment meeting.
In a tweet, Rufo showed a screenshot of the organization’s requirements for attendance eligibility, which indicated that the applicant must be black, Hispanic, or Indigenous. Not long after, Texas A&M University announced that it would not send business teachers to the meeting after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to fire the university president. Ruf did not respond Internal Advanced EDMake a request for comment.
On Friday morning, the PhD Program website includes a list of all university partners, accessible via the drop-down menu. By that night, the list had disappeared from the scene. A spokesperson for the organization did not say why it was deleted.
Internal Advanced ED Classify the list before it is deleted. Of the 45 agencies that the department accused of violating civil rights in collaboration with the PhD program, 31 were listed on the organization’s website Friday morning, including ASU. Apparently, the 14 other institutions have any connections with the PhD program, and the Education Department did not respond to a request for clarification. However, in the OCR survey, more than half of the 97 U.S. partner universities listed on its website did not include it. It is not clear why some PhD program partners are investigating while others are not.
A spokesperson for Boise State University is under OCR survey but is not on the list of partners with a doctorate degree Internal Advanced ED The agency is “Work with our Office of General Counsel to study this matter. A spokesperson for the California State University system has two campuses under investigation – CSU San Bernadino and Cal Poly Humboldt, which “continues to comply with long-term applicable federal and state laws.” A spokesperson for the University of North Texas (also in the investigation) said they are “fully collaborating” with the investigation but “not related to the PhD program.”
The annual meeting of the PhD program is scheduled to begin in Chicago next week. A spokesperson for the organization did not say how many universities have cancelled their support for attendees, or that they have seen requests for cancellations have been elevated.
Fan Smith said the move to recruit more diverse applicant pools should not be seen as discriminatory, especially in an effort to diversify academic fields. According to a 2023 report by the association, only 35% of business doctoral candidates and 26% of business school teachers are people of color.
“There are a lot of admissions programs that try to put the institution in front of students so that they can be aware of the programs they offer. These are not discriminatory,” said Smith. “The reason these programs exist is that among students in many fields, there is a shortage of students…it’s a pity to see the school leave them.”
