March 16, 2025 Story by: Publisher
The Education Department announced new investigations Friday, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships, or any aspect of student life.
The group of 45 colleges facing scrutiny over ties to the PhD Project include major public universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State, and Rutgers, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Cornell, Duke, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In a statement, the PhD Project said it aims to “create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other.”
“This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision,” it said.
The nonprofit in question is called The PhD Project, an organization founded more than 30 years ago. It supports students from underrepresented communities in obtaining doctoral business degrees. Many of the students who take part in the organization’s projects have gone on to become university professors and business leaders.
The federal government alleges the nonprofit, as well as the universities who have signed on as members, have limited student access to its programming based on race.
In a press release, the Education Department said restricting educational opportunities based on race, color or national origin is a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The department says if universities do not comply with the law, federal funding could be stripped away.
Arizona State said the business school is not financially supporting the PhD Project this year, and on Feb. 20, told faculty that the school would not support travel to the nonprofit’s conference.
In a letter dated February 14, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, asserted that schools have “toxically indoctrinated students” with the “false premise” that the United States is built on “systemic and structural racism.” He further argued that proponents of DEI policies have used the initiative to introduce “racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness” into educational programs, training sessions, and disciplinary measures.
The letter gave universities and colleges a two-week window to come into compliance or risk losing federal funding. Friday’s action appears to be the first response from the Education Department since that deadline passed on Feb. 28. The department sent additional explanatory guidance late last month, which elaborated on the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights in educational settings.
Title VI investigations typically take months, and sometimes more than a year, to complete. In the past, the investigations often resulted in an agreed-upon plan between the federal government and the university to come into compliance with civil rights law.
A Title VI investigation has never resulted in federal funds being taken away from an institution.
It’s unclear how the Education Department’s cuts to nearly half of its staff this week could affect the approach, timeline, and outcomes of these investigations.
Six other colleges are being investigated for awarding “impermissible race-based scholarships,” the department said. Those schools are: Grand Valley State University, Ithaca College, the New England College of Optometry, the University of Alabama, the University of South Florida, and the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa.
An initial press release from the Education Department erroneously identified the University of Tulsa as one of the schools under investigation.
Additionally, the University of Minnesota is being investigated for allegedly operating a program that segregates students on the basis of race, the department said.
Source: AP News/ Oregon Public Broadcast
