Until recently, it was a little-known program to help black and Latino students pursue business degrees.
But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Luffo flagged the program known as the PhD Project in a social media post that attracted the attention of Republican politicians. The program is currently at the heart of the Trump administration Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Program In higher education.
The U.S. Education Bureau said last week it was investigating dozens of universities. Racism allegationscites connections with nonprofit organizations. That followed the warning a month ago by the school You could lose federal money Beyond “racial-based preferences” in all aspects of admission, scholarship, or student life.
The investigation surprised and confused some school leaders, and wondered what prompted them to enquire. Many scrambled to distance themselves from their doctoral projects. It aims to help diversify teachers in the business world and higher education.
The development of the study highlights the climate of fear and uncertainty in higher education. Donald Trump’s management I started the police Even when he is on the move, due to policies that violate his agenda. Dismantling the education department.
There are various nonprofits working to help minority groups advance higher education, but little was known about the doctoral project before Rufo posted about his work with the university on X, said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations for the American Council of Education, the American Education Association.
“It’s not difficult to draw any line between that incident and why the 45 institutions that were partners in the PhD project are publishing this investigation,” he said.
The 45 universities examining organizational ties include public universities such as Arizona, Ohio and the University of California, Berkeley, and private schools such as Yale, Cornell, Duke and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Bureau has sent a notice notifying them notifying the Office for Civil Rights as the Office for Civil Rights has received complaints and is under investigation for allegedly discriminating against students based on race and ethnicity due to past affiliation with the PhD project. The letter set a March 31 deadline for information on its relationship with the nonprofit.
In a statement, the PhD project said it aims to “create a wider talented pipeline” for business leaders. “This year we have opened membership applications to people who share that vision,” it said.
Public responses from university leaders are minimal and cautious, with most brief statements saying they will work with investigators and decline to comment further.
Colleges may see why they don’t push back. The Trump administration has announced anti-Semitism allegations, diversity programs and Transgender athlete. in Columbia Universityto deal with Palestinian protests, the administration subtracted $400 million with federal money, threatening billions more if it didn’t comply with that demand.
“If one university fights this, there are concerns that the university will cut all its funding,” said Veena Dubal, general counsel for the American Association of University Professors. “They are hampered not only by fear, but by real collective behavioral issues. These universities don’t want to be the next example.”
Some universities moved quickly to halt cooperation on doctoral projects.
The University of Kentucky said it had cut ties with the nonprofit on Monday. The University of Wyoming said in a statement that the business university is partnering with the group to develop a pipeline for graduate students but plans to cancel membership.
The University of Nevada University of Las Vegas has issued a statement saying that three professors were involved in the program, but the two have stopped working at the university, and three were killed in a shooting on campus in 2023. Arizona said the business school is not financially supporting its doctoral project this year, and faculty members in February won’t support travel.
A similar fallout appeared earlier this year when he began posting on his PhD project to X in Texas.
“Texas A&M sponsors a trip to the DEI conference,” Rufo posted on January 13th. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, accused him of “supporting racism and breaking the law.”
The next day, Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted to X that the university would “disappear soon.” Texas A&M responded by withdrawing from the meeting. At least eight other Texas public universities have also withdrawn after previously attending conferences for their PhD project, Texas Tribune reported.
Rufo has not responded to requests for comment.
Some of the schools under investigation raised questions about where complaints about them came from.
Montana State University said it was in compliance with all state and federal laws and was “shocked” by the notification it received and “unaware of any internal complaints made regarding the PhD project.”
The Ministry of Education is being investigated by six other universities awarding “unacceptable racial-based scholarships.” Additionally, the University of Minnesota is being investigated for allegedly running a program that separates students based on race.
Hundreds gathered at the campus known for student protests on Wednesday at the University of California, Berkeley. However, it was organized by teachers who stood on the stairs of Sprawl Hall, known in the 1960s as the birthplace of the free speech movement.
“This is a battle that can be summed up in five words. Academic freedom lies under the attack,” Ula Taylor, professor of African American studies, told the crowd.
In a campus email on Monday, Prime Minister Berkeley Rich Lyons made no mention of the investigation targeting his school. However, he described the federal government’s actions towards higher education as a threat to the core values of schools.
“Berkeley without academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, freedom of expression is not just Berkeley,” Lions said. “We stand up to Berkeley’s values and protect us at the best of our capabilities.”
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Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
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