North Carolina's public universities cut 59 positions as part of a massive DEI overhaul this summer
Newly released reports from North Carolina's public university system to prove compliance with a new systemwide diversity policy show several DEI position cuts and reassignments were made
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Almost 200 diversity, equity and inclusion staff positions were either cut or reassigned across North Carolina's public university system to comply with a systemwide policy that required institutions to reassess their diversity efforts, according to reports released on Wednesday.
In a first look at how the state's 16 public universities complied with the new diversity policy — which removed mention of diversity jobs across universities and subsequently put them at risk of elimination — the institutions' certification reports demonstrate varying approaches on how campuses chose to follow the new rule.
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors reviewed the reports on Wednesday, where they evaluated ranging actions that included diversity office closures and program changes. Millions of dollars were also redirected to student success initiatives, such as recruitment efforts and scholarships, as a result of cuts and realignments.
“The reports will be scrutinized far and wide. Some will say that the campuses went too far, some will say the campuses didn't go far enough,” UNC system legal counsel Andrew Tripp said during the meeting. “It's ultimately the Board of Governors that will judge campuses' compliance.”
