Purdue University Ends DEI Programs

The university said the move is based on ‘an increasing number of actions and policy measures at both the federal and state level.’

Students on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sept. 30, 2023. Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Purdue University is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, joining a growing list of institutions to do away with such initiatives.

In a May 30 letter obtained by The Epoch Times, Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe told faculty and staff that the university will begin “sunsetting historical DEI activities and initiatives.”

The move follows a national trend, as many colleges and universities have dismantled or scaled back DEI programs to secure their continued access to federal funding. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump issued executive orders prohibiting federal dollars from being used to promote DEI ideology, which he declared not only violates anti-discrimination laws but also threatens “national unity” and “traditional American values.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun echoed the federal stance in February, signing an executive order to remove DEI initiatives from state government. Under the order, government offices cannot use state funds or resources to support DEI initiatives or demand that job candidates pledge their commitment to DEI goals.

“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,” Wolfe’s letter read.

As part of the changes, Purdue will shutter its Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, as well as “related activities” in the university’s colleges and departments. Staff members in these roles will be able to apply for other open positions at the university, according to the letter.

“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,” it read.

Purdue’s announcement comes just days after Indiana University Bloomington, the state’s flagship public university, declared it would also be eliminating its DEI programs. Other public colleges across Indiana have already begun similar rollbacks in response to Braun’s order.

Meanwhile, Purdue’s neighbor, the University of Notre Dame, is coming under scrutiny for moving in the opposite direction.

Notre Dame opened its $10 million Center of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2023. The Catholic university’s policy guidelines from that year outlined efforts to increase the number of undergraduate students and faculty from “underrepresented” groups and aimed to address what the university described as a common experience in which students could spend four years on campus without ever “enrolling in a course taught by someone who looks like them.”

On May 15, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that his office has launched an investigation into Notre Dame’s DEI practices. The probe focuses on whether the university may be violating state and federal anti-discrimination laws or jeopardizing its nonprofit status through its DEI programs.

“Indiana will not tolerate racial discrimination in education under the guise of DEI,” Rokita said. “Fairness demands that every individual be judged on their merits, not the color of their skin. Notre Dame’s DEI policies raise troubling questions about whether, in its pursuit of DEI goals, the university may be crossing the clear line that Indiana law draws against racial discrimination. I am seeking answers.”

Notre Dame has denied any unlawful discriminatory conduct.

“We do not engage in unlawful discrimination in our hiring or admissions processes and look to attract the best and brightest to our campus,” it said in a statement to multiple Indiana media outlets.