Latest news with #inclusion
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Purdue University immediately closes DEI office amid state, federal pressure
Purdue University announced Friday it is "sunsetting" DEI activities and initiatives, effective immediately."An increasing number of actions and policy measures at both the federal and state level have made it clear that doing so is a necessary part of our future as a public university and a state educational institution," the university said in a statement. The move comes after similar announcements from other Big 10 schools, including the University of Michigan and Ohio State. University Of Michigan Announces It's Shuttering Its Dei Offices Due To Trump's Executive Orders The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging will close as will related activities in colleges and departments, according to school officials. Staff colleagues working in DEI departments will have the opportunity to interview for vacancies in other departments. The Ohio State University 'Sunsets' Offices Amid Ongoing Review Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Work Read On The Fox News App The university will also update leading programs in its colleges into the Boilermaker Opportunity Program Plus in the Office of the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management to "serve all academic programs and to best support all current and future students," according to the statement. Cultural centers will continue to serve as open resources for the Purdue community, providing support for all students as part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life. Dei Office Closures At Universities Pile Up After Another State Orders End To 'Woke Virus' "As we refocus our efforts on the success of all students in keeping with our land-grant mission and values, our team will be with you every step of the way through these updates," Purdue University Provost & Miller Family professor Patrick J. Wolfe wrote in the statement. Purdue University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: Purdue University immediately closes DEI office amid state, federal pressure
Fox News
19 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Purdue University immediately closes DEI office amid state, federal pressure
Print Close By Alexandra Koch Published May 30, 2025 Purdue University announced Friday it is "sunsetting" DEI activities and initiatives, effective immediately. "An increasing number of actions and policy measures at both the federal and state level have made it clear that doing so is a necessary part of our future as a public university and a state educational institution," the university said in a statement. The move comes after similar announcements from other Big 10 schools, including the University of Michigan and Ohio State. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ANNOUNCES IT'S SHUTTERING ITS DEI OFFICES DUE TO TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging will close as will related activities in colleges and departments, according to school officials. Staff colleagues working in DEI departments will have the opportunity to interview for vacancies in other departments. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 'SUNSETS' OFFICES AMID ONGOING REVIEW OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION WORK The university will also update leading programs in its colleges into the Boilermaker Opportunity Program Plus in the Office of the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management to "serve all academic programs and to best support all current and future students," according to the statement. Cultural centers will continue to serve as open resources for the Purdue community, providing support for all students as part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life. DEI OFFICE CLOSURES AT UNIVERSITIES PILE UP AFTER ANOTHER STATE ORDERS END TO 'WOKE VIRUS' "As we refocus our efforts on the success of all students in keeping with our land-grant mission and values, our team will be with you every step of the way through these updates," Purdue University Provost & Miller Family professor Patrick J. Wolfe wrote in the statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Purdue University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Print Close URL
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Goodbye to Racial Quotas in Federal Contracts
Cleaning up diversity, equity and inclusion abuse in the federal government is one of the Trump Administration's best efforts. And on Wednesday it took on the largest and oldest race and gender preference program in U.S. history. In a motion in federal court in Kentucky, the Justice Department said the Transportation Department's longstanding Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program (DBE) violates the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. This is the program that sets aside federal contracts for women and minorities. The DBE program doles out some $37 billion in contracts over five years. The case was brought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), which sued the federal government in 2023 on behalf of Mid-America Milling and Bagshaw Trucking. The companies say they were denied contracts because they weren't minority- or woman-owned. In September 2024 federal Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove issued an injunction and said the case was likely to succeed on the merits. Race and gender quotas have warped government contracting since the early 1980s, and the DBE requirements were most recently authorized by the Biden Administration. They required states to administer a federal formula that set aside roughly 10% of contracting dollars for everyone from architects and engineers to companies that lay the asphalt and provide the steel.
CNN
a day 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.
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Migration should be embraced, not feared
"Migration is not a problem to solve, but an opportunity to seize," says Walter Kasempa, AU/IOM Migration Ambassador. As the most mobile and fastest-growing demographic on the continent, youth are both drivers and beneficiaries of migration. Whether searching for opportunity, escaping conflict, or building cross-border networks, young people are shaping the present and future of African migration. They are also at the forefront of innovation leveraging technology, advocacy, and entrepreneurship to create new pathways for social and economic inclusion. Seen through this lens, migration is not a crisis to manage, but a lever for growth and renewal. Yet many remain undocumented, which limits their access to formal systems and sidelines them from participating fully in society. Without legal identity, they remain invisible to institutions and vulnerable to exclusion. Ensuring young Africans are counted, protected by effective policies, and equipped to participate in migration governance is not just about inclusion. It is a strategic investment in the continent's future. In a video message recorded on the sidelines of a regional workshop on legal identity and migration organized by the Economic Commission for Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe, Walter Kasempa, AU/IOM Migration Ambassador, called on young Africans to take an active role in shaping systems that affect their mobility and inclusion. Mr Kasempa's message reinforced a central point shared by many participants: migration governance must be rooted in inclusion, and legal identity is foundational to that goal. Christian Oldiges, Chief of the Social Policy Section at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), underscored the role of youth in shaping migration policy. 'When young people see themselves as part of the solution, migration governance becomes not just inclusive, but transformative,' said Mr Oldiges. 'Legal identity must be recognized as a governance tool for poverty reduction as well as a public good, key to accessing rights, services and protections that every person is entitled to, regardless of their migration status. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with a market of over 1.3 billion people, presents a major opportunity to boost intra-African mobility and economic growth. If fully implemented, it could help reduce the need for migration beyond the continent by enabling young people to move, work and innovate more freely within Africa. The AfCFTA also provides a framework for retaining Africa's talent. With better access to legal identity and mobility systems, young Africans can thrive as entrepreneurs, digital innovators, skilled professionals and business leaders within the continent. But realising this potential hinges on addressing the identity and governance gaps that still limit movement and access. Fixing these issues today is key to unlocking the continent's future. The Harare workshop, co-organized by ECA, the African Union and the International Organization for Migration, focused on improving legal identity and migration data systems. A practical toolkit was also validated to support national efforts. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
