UNC System schools have eliminated 59 diversity, equity and inclusion positions across the state.
The position eliminations are a direct result of the UNC Board of Governors repealing its policy mandating diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at public universities and replacing it with one enshrining “institutional neutrality.”
The focal point of the policy is to avoid “political controversies of the day.” Chancellors were given a three-month deadline to report to UNC System President Peter Hans how they reduced “force and spending” for DEI initiatives.
Andrew Tripp is the BOG’s general counsel. At a Wednesday BOG committee meeting, he said the reports will be “scrutinized far and wide.”
“Some will say that the campuses went too far,” Tripp said at the university governance committee meeting. “Some will say that campuses didn’t go far enough. It’s ultimately the Board of Governors that will judge campuses’ compliance with the policy, both now and in an ongoing fashion.”
It is immediately unclear if the positions were filled and if there were layoffs. In addition to the eliminated positions, 131 have been “realigned.” DEI staff members that remain at their respective schools have been moved to different roles at their schools, from student services to preexisting faculty roles.
At UNC Wilmington, Chancellor Aswani Volety changed job responsibilities for every director of his university’s identity-based campus centers. Most were moved from director to associate director positions. All are non-DEI roles, ranging from managing fraternity and sorority life to running budget and facilities for campus recreation.
Other chancellors chose to rename their DEI offices instead of shuttering them. East Carolina University now has a “Department for People Operations” and NC State an “Office of Equal Opportunity.”
The DEI policy repeal also required universities to transfer any “savings” from eliminating DEI programs to student success initiatives. The UNC System’s strategic plan defines student success as initiatives that improve mental health, technology proficiency and the four-year graduation rate.
Collectively, the campuses say they have saved over $17 million from removing DEI supports. UNC-Chapel Hill reported the highest “savings” at about $5.4 million. UNC-Chapel Hill also eliminated 20 positions, the most of any UNC System university.
Several chancellors created student success director and liaison positions. These roles were either filled by former chief DEI directors or existing faculty at the university.
UNC System entities that aren’t public universities also have to comply with the BOG’s “institutional neutrality” policy. This includes the NC School of Science and Math and campus healthcare centers like UNC Hospitals. The School of Science and Math didn’t eliminate any positions, since they only had one staff member who had a DEI-related role. That employee’s work has been realigned to focus on student success and community service.
The UNC Board of Governors will continue to review the chancellor’s reports to ensure they are complying with the new “institutional neutrality policy.”
