A professor’s thoughts on reforming DEI at universities

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the U.S. are under threat. 







The U.S. Department of Education is investigating more than 50 universities with DEI programs and has threatened to cut funding for those that don’t remove them.  







The University of Michigan is among many schools that scrapped its DEI initiatives (https://wdet.org/2025/04/07/political...) in response to the political pressure.







But not everyone is caving. Harvard University announced Monday it has rejected the Trump administration’s demands to eliminate its DEI programs. The Trump administration responded swiftly, freezing over $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts (https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-...) from the Ivy League school.







But there are also complaints about DEI from good-faith reformers — people who believe that such initiatives fail to help colleges retain low-income and non-white students. They argue that in the workplace, DEI training makes it less likely that people of different backgrounds work together. 







Stony Brook University Professor Musa al-Gharbi (https://www.stonybrook.edu/faculty-di...) and author of “We Have Never Been Woke” spoke with Metro Producer Sam Corey about why he believes DEI initiatives fall short and need reforming.







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