Colleges Cut PhD Project,Avoiding Probe03/21 06:14

   

   (AP) -- Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and 
Latino students pursue business degrees.

   But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program 
known as The PhD Project in social media posts that caught the attention of 
Republican politicians. The program is now at the center of a Trump 
administration campaign to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in 
higher education.

   The U.S. Education Department last week said it was investigating dozens of 
universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to the nonprofit 
organization. That followed a warning a month earlier that schools could lose 
federal money over "race-based preferences" in admissions, scholarships or any 
aspect of student life.

   The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering 
what prompted the inquiries. Many scrambled to distance themselves from The PhD 
Project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and higher 
education faculty.

   The rollout of the investigations highlights the climate of fear and 
uncertainty in higher education, which President Donald Trump's administration 
has begun policing for policies that run afoul of his agenda even as he moves 
to dismantle the Education Department.

   There is a range of nonprofits that work to help minority groups advance in 
higher education but The PhD Project was not well known before Rufo began 
posting on X about its work with colleges, said Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice 
president of government relations at the American Council on Education, an 
association of college presidents.

   "It's not hard to draw some lines between that incident and why 45 
institutions that were partners with The PhD Project are getting this 
investigation announced," he said.

   The 45 colleges under investigation for ties to the organization include 
public universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and the University of 
California, Berkeley, along with private schools like Yale, Cornell, Duke and 
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

   The Education Department sent letters to the universities informing them its 
Office for Civil Rights had received a complaint and they were under 
investigation for allegedly discriminating against students on the basis of 
race or ethnicity because of a past affiliation with The PhD Project. The 
letters set a March 31 deadline for information about their relationship with 
the nonprofit.

   In a statement, the PhD Project said it aims to "create a broader talent 
pipeline" of business leaders. "This year, we have opened our membership 
application to anyone who shares that vision," it said.

   Public reaction from the universities' leadership has been minimal and 
cautious, with most issuing brief statements saying they will cooperate with 
investigators and refusing further comment.

   Colleges may see reason not to push back. The Trump administration has shown 
willingness to withhold federal funding over issues involving antisemitism 
allegations, diversity programs and transgender athletes. At Columbia 
University, under fire for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, the 
administration pulled $400 million in federal money and threatened billions 
more if it does not comply with its demands.

   "There is a concern that if one university steps up and fights this then 
that university will have all of their funding cut," said Veena Dubal, general 
counsel for the American Association of University Professors. "They are being 
hindered not just by fear but a real collective action problem. None of these 
universities wants to be the next example."

   Some colleges moved swiftly to stop working with The PhD Project.

   The University of Kentucky said it severed ties with the nonprofit on 
Monday. The University of Wyoming said in a statement that its college of 
business was affiliated with the group to develop its graduate student 
pipeline, but it plans to discontinue its membership.

   The University of Nevada, Las Vegas issued a statement saying three 
professors participated in the program, but two no longer work at the 
university and a third was killed in a shooting on campus in 2023. Arizona 
State said its business school is not financially supporting The PhD Project 
this year and it told faculty in February the school would not support travel 
to the nonprofit's conference.

   Similar fallout came in Texas earlier this year, when Rufo began posting on 
X about the PhD Project.

   "Texas A&M is sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference," Rufo posted on Jan. 
13. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think 
tank, accused the university of "supporting racial segregation and breaking the 
law."

   The next day Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbot posted on X that the 
university "president will soon be gone" unless he immediately "fixed" the 
matter. Texas A&M responded by withdrawing from the conference, and soon after 
at least eight other Texas public universities that had participated previously 
in The PhD Project's conference also withdrew, the Texas Tribune reported.

   Rufo has not responded to a request for comment.

   Some of the schools under investigation raised questions about where the 
complaints against them originated.

   Montana State University said it follows all state and federal laws and was 
"surprised" by the notice it received and "unaware of any complaint made 
internally with regards to The PhD Project."

   Six other colleges are being investigated for awarding "impermissible 
race-based scholarships," the Education Department said. Additionally, the 
University of Minnesota is being investigated for allegedly operating a program 
that segregates students on the basis of race.

   At the University of California, Berkeley, hundreds gathered Wednesday on 
the campus known for student protests. But this one was organized by faculty, 
who stood on the steps of Sproul Hall, known as the birthplace of the free 
speech movement in the 1960s.

   "This is a fight that can be summed up in five words: Academic freedom is 
under assault," Ula Taylor, a professor of African American studies, said to 
the crowd.

   In a campus email Monday, Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons did not 
specifically mention the investigation targeting his school. But he described 
the federal government's actions against higher education as a threat to the 
school's core values.

   "A Berkeley without academic freedom, without freedom of inquiry, without 
freedom of expression is simply not Berkeley," Lyons said. "We will stand up 
for Berkeley's values and defend them to the very best of our ability."