MIT, a prestigious private university in Massachusetts, recently announced that they are no longer using diversity statements for faculty hiring, becoming the first elite private college in a blue state to do so. This move comes after several public universities in red states had already ceased using diversity statements in their hiring processes.
In recent years, American colleges and universities have heavily embraced the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) ideology, leading to the creation of DEI bureaucracies on campuses. This has often come at the expense of academic excellence. One controversial aspect of DEI initiatives is the requirement for applicants to provide a DEI statement when applying for faculty positions. These statements have become a litmus test for employment in higher education, with some institutions developing scoring systems to evaluate candidates based on their DEI statements.
UC Berkeley, for example, launched an “Initiative to Advance Faculty Diversity” that prescreened candidates solely based on their diversity scores derived from their diversity statements. Similarly, Vanderbilt University’s Department of Psychology and Human Development used DEI statements as a prescreening tool, significantly reducing the pool of applicants.
MIT also incorporated DEI statements into their hiring practices, but they recently decided to end the mandate for such statements in hiring. This move may have been influenced by the pressure faced by MIT’s president, Sally Kornbluth. The decision to terminate the DEI statement mandate could be seen as a move for self-preservation following criticisms faced by other university presidents regarding issues like anti-Israel protests and rising antisemitism on campuses.
Overall, the use of DEI statements and the focus on DEI initiatives in higher education have led to growing concerns about the ideological direction of universities. Many Americans are disheartened by the actions of both campus protesters and administrators, feeling that higher education has devolved into little more than an overpriced daycare. This disillusionment has been reflected in polls showing a declining faith in the value of a four-year degree.
The upheaval and lawlessness on college campuses are driving more American parents to seek alternative education paths for their children. A reckoning for higher education seems inevitable, with the left bearing responsibility for the current state of affairs.
