BUZZ
Wake Forest University has closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, citing pressure from the Trump administration’s stances against discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs.
The decision was made to remain “in compliance with ongoing guidance from the Departments of Justice and Education,” Jose Villalba, former vice president for diversity and inclusion, stated in a memo to the campus Aug. 8.
As a result, the Intercultural Center, LGBTQ+ Center, and Women’s Center will transition to the Division of Campus Life, Villalba stated.
Villalba’s role has also been eliminated, but he is being transferred to the new position of vice president and special advisor to the president to “provide strategic guidance on matters related to campus climate and community building,” according to President Susan Wente in her own Aug. 8 memo.
Keenon Mann, president of the Wake Forest University Association of Black Alumni, told the Winston-Salem Journal the closure was surprising since President Wente was among more than 600 university presidents and other campus leaders who signed a letter in April by the American Association of Colleges and Universities balking at Trump’s oversight.
The letter stated in part: “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”
Also this month, Stanford and Syracuse universities shut down their DEI offices. And late last month, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Pittsburgh shuttered their DEI offices as well.
The closures follow an executive order from President Donald Trump in January deeming divisive DEI ideology a violation of civil rights and discrimination laws.
At least 174 campuses have either closed or renamed their DEI offices in recent years due to anti-DEI pressure from Republican-controlled state lawmakers or the second Trump administration, according to a College Fix tally.
MORE: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Pittsburgh shut down DEI operations
IMAGE CAPTION & CREDIT: Wake Forest University / YouTube screenshot
