The past few years have seen Americans roundly reject the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology universities have long pushed on faculty and students alike.
Even before the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action at universities, a majority of Americans, 62%, opposed race-based college admissions. At least a dozen states, including one with a Democratic governor, have cracked down on DEI at their higher education institutions in the past few years.
In 2024, seven states signed legislation against DEI or stripped funding for it at universities — Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming. Those states join Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and North Dakota, all of which moved against DEI before last year.
In April, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, allowed the legislature to enact a new law that fines public universities $10,000 if they…
