John Sailer, a fellow at the National Association of Scholars, posted a thread on Twitter explaining how the state of Texas is a perfect example of a Republican-run “red state” whose universities are filled with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) bureaucracies that alter the purpose of higher education.
A research paper found that DEI requirements for hiring are very common and that diversity-related initiatives and management could be counterproductive to the stated goals.
“The rapid, all-consuming growth of DEI is not limited to universities in progressive states," Sailer tweeted. " Many ‘red state’ universities are creating bureaucracies that entrench scholar-activism and distort the basic purpose of higher education. The most obvious example: Texas.”
Sailer joined the Keeping the Republic Project in 2021, which is part of a larger project “to preserve traditional civics education against the threat of New Civics, which replaces civics education with vocational training for progressive activism,” according to the National Association of Scholars website. Keeping the Republic also supports the Civics Alliance, “comprising education reformers, policymakers and concerned citizens.” Sailer’s recent projects include “The Anatomy of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Takeover” and “Educating for Citizenship: The Texas Case Study.”
According to Sailer’s Twitter thread, the University of Texas at Austin is a prime example where “DEI bureaucracies” are thriving. In 2017, UT Austin came up with a seven-page DEI document in response to student demands that started in June 2016. Sailer says the NADOHE (National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education) “basically declare Kendian anti-racism to be an integral feature of the job.” Sailer says there is no reason to believe students will not see “Kendism” embraced at UT Austin.
Sailer also points out that faculty positions are including a DEI feature in promotions and tenure qualifications. He argues the “DEI bureaucracy” will “inevitably drift towards political activism.” He also addresses DEI at Texas A&M University, where he says they have “wholeheartedly embraced DEI” with the hiring of an associate dean for inclusive excellence and creating a “climate committee” for each academic department.
The dentistry school at Texas A&M has a Diversity and Inclusion Council and the education school has a Equity and Social Justice Collective. Sailer argues these DEI initiatives have “downstream effects on teaching and scholarship” with a more significant underlying effect: “an institutionally mandated ideological echo chamber.” Sailer gives more evidence that Texas public universities have “embraced” DEI with their requirement of diversity statements for candidates wanting to apply for faculty positions.
UT’s president, Jay Hartzell, told the Austin Journal in a previous report, “Our university has made great strides in its commitment to diversity and inclusion in recent years, but we have much more progress to make. Our goal is to create an environment on the Forty Acres where all community members — students, faculty and staff — are empowered to be true to themselves, to participate fully in our vibrant university and to thrive as individuals."
Sailer argues that public universities shouldn't have to “sacrifice their sole purpose — the pursuit of truth — to prop up a bureaucracy devoted to enforcing fads and moral panics.” Instead universities can and should be “great institutions, and we should try to make them that way.”
While DEI programs are being adopted by universities nationwide, one research paper asked the question: Do DEI requirements actually achieve their stated aims? Results from multiple studies from varying organizations indicate that other diversity-related personnel-management approaches have not achieved their stated goals and some have even become counterproductive in diversifying leadership and improving intergroup relationships.
DEI statements are becoming increasingly common in hiring for university faculty positions. Research on DEI hiring practices reveal that nearly one in five professors are selected based on their alignment with a particular ideology. Proponents claim that implementing DEI in the hiring process allows for academic inclusivity.
Critics argue that it is a nod to political correctness and that hiring practices at universities that require DEI statements from candidates are more interested in the appearance of being inclusive. The university is trying to ensure that candidates are closely aligned with their particular ideology. Critics point out that universities employing this practice are not allowing meritocracy to guide the hiring of the best faculty to advance academic excellence and the production and dissemination of knowledge.