Until recently, it was a little known program to help black and Latin students to follow business titles.
But in January, the conservative strategist Christopher Rufo marked the program known as the PHD project in social media publications that caught the attention of Republican politicians. The program is now at the center of a Trump administration campaign to eradicate Diversity, equity and inclusion programs In higher education.
The United States Department of Education said last week that he was investigating dozens of universities to alleged racial discriminationciting ties with the non -profit organization. That a warning followed a month before schools I could lose federal money On “breed -based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.
The investigations left some surprised and confused school leaders, wondering what caused the consultations. Many rushed to distance themselves from the doctoral project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and the Faculty of Higher Education.
The deployment of research highlights the climate of fear and uncertainty in higher education, which president Donald Trump’s administration Surveillance has begun for policies that face their agenda even when it moves to dismantle the Department of Education.
There are a variety of non -profit organizations that work to help minority groups to advance higher education, but the doctoral project was not well known before Rufo began publishing in X about his work with universities, said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations in the American Education Council, an association of university presidents.
“It is not difficult to draw some lines between that incident and why 45 institutions that were members of the PHD project are obtaining this research,” he said.
The 45 schools under ties research with the organization include public universities such as the state of Arizona, the state of Ohio and the University of California, Berkeley, along with private schools such as Yale, Cornell, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Department of Education sent letters to the universities that informed them that their civil rights office had received a complaint and were under investigation for allegedly discriminating students based on the breed or ethnic origin due to an earlier affiliation with the doctoral project. The letters established a deadline of March 31 for information about their relationship with the non -profit organization.
In a statement, the doctoral project said it aims to “create a broader talent pipe” of business leaders. “This year, we have opened our membership request to anyone who shares that vision,” he said.
The public reaction of universities leadership has been minimal and cautious, and most issued short statements saying that they will cooperate with the researchers and reject more comments.
Universities can see the reason not to go back. The Trump administration has demonstrated its willingness to retain federal funds on issues that involve anti -Semitism accusations, diversity and diversity programs Transgender athletes. In Columbia UniversityUnder fire due to pro-palestinian protests, the Administration withdrew $ 400 million in federal money and threatened thousands of millions if it does not meet its demands.
“There is concern that if a university increases and fights this, then that university will have all its financing cut,” said Veena Dubal, general advisor of the American Association of Teachers of the University. “They are being hindered not only by fear but for a true problem of collective action. None of these universities wants to be the next example.”
Some universities quickly moved to stop working with the doctoral project.
Kentucky University said he cut ties with the non -profit organization on Monday. The University of Wyoming said in a statement that its business faculty was affiliated with the group to develop its graduated student pipeline, but plans to suspend their membership.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas issued a statement by saying that three professors participated in the program, but two no longer work at the university and a third was killed in a shooting on the campus in 2023. Arizona State said that their business school does not financially support the doctoral project this year and told the Faculty in February that the school would not support trips to the conference of organizations.
The similar consequences arrived in Texas earlier this year, when Rufo began publishing in X on the PHD project.
“Texas aANDM sponsored a trip to a Dei Conference, “Rufo published on January 13. Rufo, main member of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative expert group, accused the University of” supporting racial segregation and breaking the law. “
The next day, Texas Republican governor, Greg Abbot, published in X that the university “president will soon go” unless “the matter” would fix “immediately. Texas aANDM replied withdrawing from the conference, and shortly after at least eight other public universities in Texas who had previously participated in the PHD Project Conference also retired, Texas Tribune reported.
Rufo has not responded to a request for comments.
Some of the schools under investigation raised questions about where the complaints against them originated.
The State University of Montana said that it follows all state and federal laws and that it was “surprised” by the notice he received and “without realizing any complaint filed internally with respect to the doctoral project.”
Six universities are being investigated for granting “inadmissible scholarships based on the breed,” said the Department of Education. In addition, the University of Minnesota is being investigated for allegedly operating a program that segregates students based on the race.
At the University of California, Berkeley, hundreds met on Wednesday at the campus known for students’ protests. But this was organized by the Faculty, which was on the steps of Sprooul Hall, known as the birthplace of the movement of freedom of expression in the 1960s.
“This is a fight that can be summarized in five words: academic freedom is under assault,” said Ul Taylor, a professor of African -American studies, to the crowd.
In an email from the campus on Monday, Foreign Minister Berkeley Rich Lyons did not specifically mention the research addressed to his school. But he described the actions of the federal government against higher education as a threat to the fundamental values of the school.
“A Berkeley without academic freedom, without freedom of research, without freedom of expression, is simply not Berkeley,” Lyons said. “We will defend Berkeley’s values and defend them the best we can.”
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Associated Press’s writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
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