In a letter sent to universities late last Friday, the Education Department threatened federal funding if universities fail to comply with guidance against considering race in scholarship or hiring decisions or acknowledging race in “all other aspects of student, academic and campus life” within fourteen days.
This update comes after a Jan. 21 executive order entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which forbids federal funding for organizations that are found to be discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
The letter is only the latest development in a longstanding fight against DEI programs, based on a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that found the use of race-conscious admissions practices at universities to be unlawful. However, this is perhaps a broad application of this decision, as universities can now be punished for making race-conscious staffing decisions or offering certain services to students based on their race.
University President Michael Schill shed light on how Northwestern is grappling with the “unprecedented pace” of executive orders and agency actions that are targeting institutions of higher education in an email Wednesday evening.
“The path forward on these interconnected issues is frequently complex and often unclear, and we recognize the toll that uncertainty takes on our faculty, staff and students,” Schill wrote in the email.
As the University receives more clarity regarding guidance, it is working to take the necessary time and work with community members in order to “respond carefully and thoughtfully,” the email said.
In the coming weeks, NU leaders will work to analyze new guidance, assess current University policies and, in some cases, make changes. The email said any changes made would remain in line with NU’s core academic values and principles.
“These include our mission to attract and support exceptional students, faculty and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives and geographies who will learn from one another and contribute to research that changes the world,” Schill wrote in the email.
Schill reiterated his commitment to “bringing together people of different backgrounds and perspectives,” while ensuring that “all members of our community feel that they belong.”
To accomplish this in the face of a barrage of executive orders, Schill said the University must adopt programs that work to expose people to viewpoints that are different from their own and consider employing support mechanisms to respond to the needs of the NU community.
“Every member of our community should feel welcome … regardless of their socioeconomic status, political viewpoint or protected characteristic,” Schill wrote in the email. “We are confident that by working together, we will successfully navigate the changes coming our way and continue the remarkable trajectory of excellence we have experienced over the past several decades.”
Email: leahschroeder2026@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @lmschroeder_
Related Stories:
— NU Feinberg scrubs DEI webpage amid Trump’s executive orders
— U.S. Senate identifies $15 million worth of NSF grants to NU ‘promoting DEI’
— Executive order on DEI compromises resources, materials used at NU
