Latest news with #SallyKornbluth
CNN
4 days ago
- Business
- CNN
MIT is shuttering DEI office amid Trump administration's push to end diversity programs
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced it will shut down its DEI office, joining a raft of universities scrambling to scale back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs amid President Donald Trump's push to end those initiatives in US schools. In a letter posted online last week, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the institution will 'sunset' its Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) as well as a vice-president role charged with overseeing inclusion programs. Kornbluth insisted MIT is not abandoning efforts to ensure a diverse community but said the university will 'shift focus to community building at the local level' and that the ICEO's signature programs will be taken up by other departments on campus. 'MIT is in the talent business. Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported,' Kornbluth wrote. A spokesperson for MIT affirmed the school's 'unwavering' commitment to those goals. The spokesperson told CNN that MIT is 'in the process of winding down' the ICEO office but didn't provide a specific timeframe. The decision to close the office follows a months-long review of the university's diversity programs. The assessment was led by Karl Reid, the last Vice-President for Equity and Inclusion, who stepped down in February after barely one year in the job. Word of MIT's announcement comes as the tech school's neighbor, Harvard University, faces a consequential court hearing Thursday that may determine whether international students can attend the university or continue their studies there. The administration revoked Harvard's certification to host international students a week ago, but a federal judge temporarily halted the move after Harvard sued the next day. Thursday's hearing will take place just six miles from campus, where Harvard will be holding its 2025 commencement ceremony for new graduates. MIT's undergraduate commencement is scheduled for the next day. Harvard appears to have also felt the pressure of Trump's anti-diversity program push. Last month, the Ivy League school renamed its Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging to the Community and Campus Life office. In recent weeks, universities across the country have been scrambling to comply with Trump's anti-DEI push in the hopes of holding on to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants, which fund critical medical research in areas such as cancer and maternal health, among an array of scientific fields. Last month, the Trump administration threatened to cancel medical research funds and to pull the accreditation of universities that have diversity and inclusion programs or boycott Israeli companies. Just hours into his second term, Trump signed an Executive Order declaring diversity, equity and inclusion efforts discriminatory, doubling down on one of the controversial policies he pushed during his first presidency. MIT is among 45 universities targeted in an investigation launched in March by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for 'allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.' This week the Trump administration escalated its fight against Harvard by moving to cancel all of the university's remaining federal contracts, which total around $100 million, in addition to several billions in grants already canceled or frozen. The university is also locking legal horns with the government on the withheld funding, hoping to unlock $2.2 billion in federal grants frozen by the administration for failing to implement its policy demands.
CNN
6 days ago
- Business
- CNN
MIT is shuttering DEI office amid Trump administration's diversity program purge
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced it will shut down its DEI office, joining a raft of universities scrambling to scale back their diversity, equity and inclusion programs amid President Donald Trump's anti-diversity push. In a letter on its website last Thursday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the institution will 'sunset' its Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) as well as a vice-president role charged with overseeing inclusion programs. Kornbluth insisted MIT is not abandoning efforts to ensure a diverse community but said the university will 'shift focus to community building at the local level' and that the ICEO's signature programs will be taken up by other departments on campus. 'MIT is in the talent business. Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported,' Kornbluth wrote. The decision to close the DEI office follows a months-long review of the university's diversity programs. The assessment was led by Karl Reid, the last Vice-President for Equity and Inclusion, who stepped down in February after barely one year in the job. Kornbluth's letter did not mention the exact dates the changes are meant to take place. CNN has reached out to MIT for comments. In recent weeks, universities across the country have been scrambling to comply with Trump's anti-diversity push in the hopes of holding on to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants, which fund critical medical research in areas such as cancer and maternal health, among an array of scientific fields. Last month, the Trump administration threatened to cancel medical research funds and to pull the accreditation of universities that have diversity and inclusion programs or boycott Israeli companies. Just hours into his second term, Trump signed an Executive Order declaring diversity, equity and inclusion efforts discriminatory, doubling down on one of the controversial policies he pushed during his first presidency. MIT is among 45 universities targeted in an investigation launched in March by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for 'allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.' MIT's decision to shutter its DEI office comes as the White House escalates its fight rows with the tech school's neighbor, Harvard University. This week the Trump administration moved to cancel all of Harvard's remaining federal contracts, which total around $100 million, in addition to several billions in grants already canceled or frozen. A week ago, the administration banned Harvard, the nation's oldest and richest university, from enrolling international students, but a federal judge temporarily halted the ban after Harvard sued the next day. The university is also locking legal horns with the government in a bid to unlock $2.2 billion in federal grants frozen by the administration for failing to implement its policy demands.
Fox News
6 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Massachusetts Institute of Technology shutters DEI office following monthslong 'comprehensive assessment'
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is shutting down its diversity, equity and inclusion office following a comprehensive assessment that began nearly 18 months ago. MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced the closing, or "sunsetting," of the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) last Thursday. "As I've said many times, MIT is in the talent business," Kornbluth's announcement read. "Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive." Among the top priorities listed in the memo, titled "How we support our community," was a section with the header "Core programs will continue, but we will wind down the central ICEO." "This process began nearly 18 months ago," a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, noting that the decision followed a "comprehensive assessment" of the Institute. The ICEO, which billed itself online as a steward of "MIT's values and their interconnections," claimed it built "community through care, education, restorative practices, and programming that embraces, celebrates, and helps increase MIT's diversity in all its forms." MIT will also eliminate the role of vice president for equity and inclusion, Kornbluth confirmed. Earlier this month, the school became the first in its class to scrap diversity pledges in its hiring and admissions processes – a practice slammed by free speech advocate organization FIRE as functionally serving as "ideological litmus tests." MIT's decision comes on the heels of the Trump administration's public feud with nearby Harvard University, including a recent ask to pull all federal funds – amounting to a staggering $100 million in contracts – being funneled toward the Ivy League institution. This comes after Harvard has shown little sway in its standoff with the president over foreign student enrollment and alleged race-based admissions. MIT, however, has been downscaling its DEI infrastructure for some time – and the university spokesperson denied any correlation between ongoing political disputes involving Harvard and the ICEO's demise.
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
MIT closes DEI office amid Trump's dispute with Harvard and other schools
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology closed its DEI office last week, following an 18-month assessment of the department's work. The school confirmed that it closed its Institute Community and Equity Office, known as the ICEO, which described its mission online as "stewarding MIT's values and their interconnections." MIT will also eliminate the role of the vice president for equity and inclusion, who led the department, according to a university spokesperson. MIT President Sally Kornbluth made the announcement last Thursday, following an 18-month "comprehensive assessment" of the ICEO's work, an MIT spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. While President Trump has taken aim at DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — in government, business and academia, MIT's review began before his return to office. In January 2024, Kornbluth asked staff to advise her "where we're succeeding in supporting our community and where we're falling short." "MIT is in the talent business," Kornbluth said in a notice to the MIT community. "Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive." The closure comes amid a battle between the Trump administration and nearby Harvard University, which intensified this week as the White House took new steps to screen and restrict international students who wish to study in the U.S. The Trump administration has frozen over $3 billion in research grants and contracts to Harvard. The White House has accused Harvard of discriminatory hiring practices and not doing enough to address antisemitism on campus. It has also leveled similar accusations at Columbia University and frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research grants and other funding to the school. Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the funding freeze. President Trump has also called for K-12 public schools to eliminate DEI initiatives across local school systems. In April, 19 states sued the Trump administration, alleging that it is unlawful to withhold federal funding from public schools for not complying with his mandate. CBS News' Jared Hill and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Top university BREAKS from Harvard as leftist institutions begin to bend under Trump pressure
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) closed down its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) department last week amid pressure from the government. MIT President Sally Kornbluth has 'wound down' the Institute Community and Equity Office, a spokesman for the college told 'MIT is in the talent business,' Kornbluth said in a statement about moving towards an improved hiring system, which the university said began 18 months ago. 'Our success depends on attracting exceptionally talented people of every background, from across the country and around the world, and making sure everyone at MIT feels welcome and supported, so they can do their best work and thrive.' It marks a stark break from the approach being taken by Harvard University, where leaders are refusing to bend to Donald Trump 's agenda. The Trump administration has retaliated against the fellow Cambridge, MA college by cutting $100 million in its remaining contracts with the federal government. MIT's latest move comes weeks after it became the first top college to drop the controversial 'diversity statement' previously required of prospective employees. The university previously required faculty applicants to provide the hiring team with a statement demonstrating 'knowledge of challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion'. Applicants were also required to outline their 'track record of working with diverse groups of people' and share how they plan to advance diversity, equity (DEI) and inclusion within their role at the school. Kornbluth decided to remove the requirement because 'compelled' diversity statements allegedly 'impinge on freedom of expression' and 'don't work', the university confirmed to The school is the first elite private university to backtrack on the controversial application practice. An MIT spokesperson on Monday confirmed that 'requests for a statement on diversity will no longer be part of applications for any faculty positions at MIT'. Kornbluth made the decision to reform the highly-criticized hiring practice with the 'support of the Provost, Chancellor, and all six academic deans'. The President said she believes MIT can 'build an inclusive environment' without requiring diversity statements. 'My goals are to tap into the full scope of human talent, to bring the very best to MIT, and to make sure they thrive once here,' Kornbluth told in a statement. 'We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don't work.' The policy change comes after a survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech advocacy group, last year revealed that students and faculty were 'unclear' if the 'administration protects free speech'. The report, released in January 2023, found that 'large portions of MIT faculty and students are afraid to express their views in various academic settings.' Around 25 per cent of faculty reported they were 'very' or 'extremely' likely to self-censor, the FIRE survey revealed. Forty-one per cent of faculty also agreed that the administration's stance on free speech was 'not clear'. Last month, a Harvard Law School professor urged the Ivy League - which MIT is not apart of - to eliminate mandatory diversity statements. Randall L. Kennedy, in a column in the Harvard Crimson, argued that requiring faculty to sign DEI statements 'poses a profound challenge to academic freedom'. He argued DEI statements force faculty and staff to 'toe a political line' apply pressure towards 'leftist conformity' and 'abets cynicism.' 'Universities are under a legal, moral, and pedagogical duty to take action against wrongful discriminatory conduct,' Kennedy wrote. 'But demands for mandatory DEI statements venture far beyond that obligation into territory that is full of booby-traps inimical to an intellectually healthy university environment.' The DEI statement policy, often leading to the select hiring of minorities or specific demographics in order to increase diversity, was strongly pushed by Harvard's first Black female president Claudine Gay. Gay, alongside the presidents of UPenn and MIT were called before a congressional hearing in December last year to account for the rise of antisemitism on their college campuses. During the hearing, Gay refused to categorize calls for Jew genocide as harassment or concede that Jewish students had a right to feel safe at Ivy League schools. Gay resigned as president of Harvard in January but failed to apologize for testimony. The academic had actively pushed a DEI agenda at the college, and had herself been criticized as underqualified for the role. Higher education institutions are not the only firms revising their DEI hiring practices. Last year's Supreme Court ruling overturning the use of affirmative action in universities has drawn attention to corporate diversity efforts. Laws limiting the use of DEI policies in public schools have been introduced in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis and in the universities of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott. Several American companies have distanced themselves from controversial diversity initiatives in the wake of the college antisemitism row, business consultants revealed earlier this year. The spate of antisemitism at some of the country's most elite college campuses has reportedly dragged the DEI term further into a toxic political debate that businesses now wish to distance themselves from. 'The focus is moving away from 'those three words' towards efforts around 'wellbeing and inclusion,' Diana Scott from The Conference Board told Axios in January. DEI had already attracted some high-profile critics from the business world including Elon Musk and billionaire Bill Ackman.
