University of California to stop requiring diversity statements when recruiting

The University of California said Wednesday it would stop using diversity statements in recruitment, a practice that some say makes campus more inclusive but is criticized by others saying the opposite.

Diversity statements often require job seekers to describe on the page so that they can contribute to campus diversity. In one of the largest higher education systems in the United States, it is one of the largest higher education systems in the United States with the Trump administration’s higher education attacks on diversity programming.

For a decade, the 10 campus system has been the national leader in using such statements as universities are increasingly under pressure to want more diverse students and faculty.

“Our values ​​and commitment to the mission have not changed,” Janet Reilly, chairman of the system’s board, said in a statement late Wednesday. “We will continue to embrace and celebrate Californians from a variety of life experiences, contexts and perspectives.”

The news comes as universities face many direct challenges from the new Trump administration.

Two weeks ago, the government announced it would end a $400 million research grant with Columbia University criticism, as the institution has not done enough to combat anti-Semitism. The Ministry of Education sent a letter to 60 universities last week warning of “potential law enforcement actions” if they do not protect Jewish students. Four of the 10 campuses of the University of California System — Berkeley, Davis, San Diego and Santa Barbara — received the letter.

Last month, the Ministry of Education issued guidance explaining the 2023 Supreme Court ruling to reduce racial awareness enrollment practices, including more broadly any “race-based decision-making.”

Michael Drake, president of the University of California System, did not address the diversity statement in his opening speech at a Regent meeting on Wednesday. But he drew a dismal photo of the university’s finances.

The system is supporting 8% of national budget cuts and is concerned about the threat of federal government restricting funding. Like several other universities in recent days, Mr. Drake has announced a system-wide recruitment freeze.

The university’s provost Katherine S. Newman said in a letter to the system’s leaders on Wednesday that the Regent directed Mr. Drake to eliminate the diversity statement of all new employees.

“The requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on the expertise or previous experience of their candidates,” she wrote. “We can continue to serve the community effectively from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds and perspectives without the need for a diversity statement.”

Even before Mr. Trump took office, the diversity statement had become a lightning rod.

Conservative critics describe them as “the oath of loyalty,” limiting the diversity of ideas in academia. Others see them as another tool that savvy applicants can use to hit the right buzzwords and gain an advantage in recruiting.

Some states, including North Dakota, Florida and Texas, have banned demands on them or blocked them altogether. Under pressure, several universities, including Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan, recently said they will no longer require them to be in teacher recruitment.

“They encouraged performance,” said Steven Brint, a professor at the University of California, Riverside. “People know the right words.”

The University of California was sued for a diversity statement, but the federal lawsuit was eventually abandoned because the judge said the plaintiff lacked a position.

But among their supporters, these statements are a test of the increasingly diverse student groups of applicants. Brian Soucek, a law professor at UC Davis, said diversity statements are not about measuring beliefs, but about action.

Professor Soucek said the university is withdrawing from one of its core values ​​and succumbing to the Trump administration to avoid the president’s anger in vain attempts.

Professor Sussek wrote this week in a letter to teacher leaders: “It is politically naive to try to appease those who have clearly destroyed higher education, as we know it so far.”

He added in an interview: “Show me how it works for Colombia.”