Purdue University cut all ties to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, activities and initiatives following executive orders from state leaders that align with directives issued by President Donald Trump.
The new measures on the West Lafayette campus immediately close doors at the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, but also limit DEI initiatives and activities in other respects, the university announced in a Friday statement.
The office’s web page is now down.
In the statement, Purdue University Provost Patrick Wolfe said the move is directly related to policy shifts and new rules at both the state and federal level.
Those changes “made it clear that doing so is a necessary part of our future as a public university and a state educational institution,” according to the statement.
Purdue faculty and staff who worked in the DEI office or related activities can interview for open positions at the university. The statement does not specifically explain if those positions are terminated or how many staff members are impacted, only that they have an “opportunity to interview.”
Cultural centers – like the Black Cultural Center, LGBTQ Center and Latino Cultural Center – will remain open but must serve “all students”. Those centers are now under the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life due to the DEI office closure.
The university also revealed that two programs dedicated to improving diversity and equity would be rolled into one program to “serve all academic programs and to best support all current and future students.”
The Boilermaker Opportunity Program Plus will replace Purdue’s Minority Engineering Program and the Dr. Cornell A. Bell Business Opportunity Program.
Both programs supported minority students aiming for engineering and business careers. MEP touts helping more than 3,000 underrepresented groups to graduate from the flagship institution, according to their website.
Last week, Indiana University closed the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Ivy Tech Community College system did the same in February.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights – at the bequest of President Trump – issued a "dear colleague" letter on Feb. 14, warning educational institutions to stop considering race in decisions affecting students or risk loss of federal funding.
Gov. Mike Braun previously issued an executive order eliminating DEI initiatives in government offices. He then closed the Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer, which was created by former Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2020.
Braun also signed a law bolstered by Republican state lawmakers that sought to further limit DEI practices in education.
“As we refocus our efforts on the success of all students in keeping with our land-grant mission and values, our team will be with you every step of the way through these updates,” Wolfe wrote.