14-03-2025
Colorado university among dozens of schools investigated for DEI practices: what to know
The University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus is among the dozens of universities being investigated over allegations of 'racial preferences and stereotypes' in academic programs or scholarships, the Department of Education announced Friday.
The latest investigation follows a February letter from the Department's Office for Civil Rights ordering schools to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts or risk losing federal funding.
'Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,' Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement Friday. 'We will not yield on this commitment.'
UCCS is among 45 universities being investigated for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.
The crux of the issue, according to the Education Department's announcement, is a partnership between these schools and The PhD Project, a nonprofit aimed at supporting traditionally underrepresented groups in academia.
The organization did not immediately respond to a request from USA TODAY for comment.
The department also announced investigations into seven schools for alleged impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.
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The schools run the gamut from Ivy League institutions such as Yale University to state schools like the University of Alabama and small private schools such as Rice University. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is being investigated for both reasons identified in the release.
UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in a statement that the school was notified late Thursday that the department was investigating a complaint regarding the College of Business' use of a faculty recruiting platform, hosted by The PhD Project. Sobanet said university officials believed they have only used the platform to advertise open faculty positions.
"Like universities across the country, we use various platforms to seek and recruit the best teaching and research talent for our students.," Sobanet said. "We are in the process of gathering additional information about this complaint and will comply with the request from the department in a timely manner. We want to say clearly, however, that UCCS does not discriminate in its recruitment or hiring practices."
The University of Notre Dame was among the 45 schools accused of racial discrimination in its graduate program.
Erin Blasko, Notre Dame's associate director of media relations, told The South Bend Tribune, part of the USA TODAY network, in an email, "As always, The University of Notre Dame follows the law and in no way practices or condones discrimination. As a Catholic university, we are fully committed to defending the dignity of every human person and ensuring that every person can flourish."
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Arizona State University were also included on that list.
A spokesperson for UW-Madison told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY network, that the school had not yet been formally notified of any complaint related to the PhD Project, as of Friday morning. If a complaint is received, the university will cooperate with any investigation, the spokesperson said.
Arizona State University was also among the 60 schools that received a different letter earlier from the Department of Education over allegations of antisemitism on campus.
Contributing: Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune; Kelly Meyerhofer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Helen Rummel, Arizona Republic
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: University of Colorado-Colorado Springs investigated for DEI practices
