AAUP has released a scathing report compiling interviews from current and former faculty members, students, alumni, trustees, and retired university leaders documenting what it believes is a network of institutions declining into authoritative control, intellectual and moral bankruptcy and unfettered faculty turnover.
Despite Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action and state efforts to defund DEI, there are integral ways higher education can maintain its mission of cultivating a culture of diverse perspectives. "Don't be led by fear," advises Dr. David Acosta, chief diversity and inclusion officer of the AAMC.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Monday prohibiting Florida's public institutions from spending money on initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, which he believes "promote(s) dangerous political and social activism."
The Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act would have broad implications across the state's 14 public universities, 23 colleges, and some private schools, mirroring similar proposals drafted by other states, along with some unique ones.
In three short months, New College of Florida installed six new trustees, ousted its president, abolished its Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence, and is now removing any trace of Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez, the school's top DEI officer.
Dissidents of the memo believed the state was enforcing a blocked bill that punished schools for teaching concepts about race, but the same judge responsible for its injunction does not believe it applies in this case.
Under the policy, tenured faculty members would be subject to review every five years based on several factors, most notably their cooperation with the law which aims to keep colleges from "indoctrinating" students with divisive concepts such as race and white privilege. Those who receive poor reviews could face termination.