President Pinto shares message regarding future of DEI at UC

ContributedUniversity of Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto released the following letter to media, staff and students, following the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that also apply to universities and other educational institutions that accept federal funding:Dear UC Community,I write to you today to share some challenging truths about the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the University of Cincinnati. As you are no doubt aware, the federal government has effectively outlawed DEI programs and practices within government entities, including public universities nationwide.If you haven’t already, please take the time to read President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 from January 21 as well as the February 14 “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which calls for the elimination of DEI in higher education.Taken together, these federal actions are sweeping in their scope, categorical in their conclusions and pressing in their timing. The OCR letter specifically states that we must comply with these new rules by February 28, after which OCR will begin holding noncompliant universities accountable.In response to these mandates, Provost Kristi Nelson and I spent this week informing our deans and vice presidents of the initial steps we...