Overview

• The Department of Education has launched investigations into 52 colleges, including UC Berkeley, Yale, and the University of Utah, for alleged race-based discrimination in diversity programs and scholarships.
• The investigations focus on partnerships with PhD Project, a nonprofit aimed at increasing diversity in business school faculty, which the administration claims violates anti-discrimination laws.
• A February memo from the Trump administration warned universities that race-conscious practices in admissions, scholarships, and student programs could lead to loss of federal funding.
• Some universities have already begun dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and revising policies to comply with the administration's interpretation of anti-discrimination laws.
• The administration has also intensified enforcement actions on other fronts, including antisemitism investigations and deportation of foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.