UC Found a Hill It Didn't Want to Die On

UC has dropped required "DEI" statements for faculty hirings. We have reported on this issue in previous posts. Our view has been that eventually, in some future court decision, either the statements would be watered down - as the old loyalty oaths of the 1950s were - or just outright voided.*

Obviously, the decision was made now with the current goings on in DC firmly in mind. But it was a hill that even had the 2024 election gone the other way, UC would have died on, or at least would have had a near-death experience.

Note that nothing prevents anyone from including in a self-statement any topic as part of their submissions.

From the NY Times:

The University of California said on Wednesday that it would stop requiring the use of diversity statements in hiring, a practice praised by some who said it made campuses more inclusive but criticized by others who said it did the opposite. Diversity statements typically ask job applicants to describe in a page or so how they would contribute to campus diversity. The move away from them, by one of the biggest higher education systems in the United States, comes as the Trump administration escalates an attack on higher education over diversity programming.

For a decade, the 10-campus system was a national leader in using such statements, as universities increasingly came under pressure from those who wanted more diverse student bodies and faculties. “Our values and commitment to our mission have not changed,” Janet Reilly, the chair of the system’s Board of Regents, said in a statement late Wednesday. “We will continue to embrace and celebrate Californians from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds and points of view.” ...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/diversity-statements-university-of-california.html.

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*Type "loyalty" into the search engine on this blog for past postings.

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UPDATE: From an email circulated around 3 pm this afternoon:

To: Faculty and Staff

Dear Colleagues:

I write at the request of President Drake to inform you about a decision by the UC Board of Regents to change the University’s practices with respect to staff and faculty recruitments. After thoughtful consideration, the Board has directed President Drake to take action to ensure that diversity statements are no longer required for new recruitments.

The Regents determined this announcement was necessary because some programs and departments have required diversity statements as part of hiring processes despite the fact that the University of California has never maintained such a systemwide policy. The requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience. The Regents affirmed that UC’s values and commitment to our mission have not changed. We can continue to effectively serve communities from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds, and points of view without requiring diversity statements in the hiring process.

As you know, the University does have a systemwide policy, Academic Personnel Manual (APM) 210-1.d, that enables faculty members who engage in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in their teaching, research, and service to be recognized for these contributions during the academic review process. This policy was developed in close consultation with the UC Academic Senate and will remain in place.

APM - 210 currently provides flexibility to faculty in their review actions to submit, in any form they wish, inclusive academic achievements in teaching, research, and service, and receive due recognition for those contributions. APM – 210 does not require the submission of standalone diversity statements.

Accordingly, faculty members may choose to submit descriptions of relevant academic achievements such as instituting inclusive research practices; teaching approaches that support the success of all students through curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment, and classroom environment; mentoring that supports the advancement and professional development of all students, postdoctoral scholars, and colleagues; and campus or professional service activities that further the University’s public mission. The policy was intended to demonstrate the University’s commitment to creating a community where people of all backgrounds and points of view can engage, learn, and thrive, and this policy will continue to ensure that outcome.

To be clear, requiring stand-alone diversity statements in recruitment is no longer permitted. If an applicant chooses to refer to these accomplishments in other parts of an application or during interviews and discussions, hiring committees can consider these contributions alongside the applicants’ other qualifications.

Consistent with federal and state law, the University should, and will, continue to provide due recognition to prospective or current employees who wish to share how they have contributed to inclusive excellence. The Regents reinforced the importance of the University’s policies and practices that are designed to ensure that talented students, staff, and faculty from all groups can access the University and feel welcome.

Please share this message with faculty across the system and with Academic Senate committees. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for all you do for the UC community.

Sincerely,

Katherine S. Newman

UC System Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy

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Note that the email appears to clarify a) that the dropping of the requirement applies both to hiring and advancements, and b) that nothing prevents candidates from providing information voluntarily on whatever accomplishments and talents they have. The news accounts may not make these points clearly.