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Damian Giletto, Delaware News Journal
In response to a national trend of reworking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, the University of Mississippi announced Friday it will create a Division of Access, Opportunity and Community Engagement and close its DEI program, pending approval by the state Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees.
DEI is a concept and practice used by organizations to recognize and value differences among people, ensure fair opportunities for everyone and foster a work environment where all feel welcomed and respected.
According to a statement from the University of Mississippi, the core mission of the university is to provide access to post-secondary degree programs, leading to greater opportunities and improved quality of life for the people of Mississippi and beyond.
University officials were not made available to respond to questions from the Clarion Ledger, other than to provide its statement.
“Decades of experience has shown that students who lack the benefit of pre-college programs and services need more support in college to advance and graduate,” the statement read. “This division will align programs and resources designed to enhance educational access and student success.”
Diversity policies and programs rushed into existence amid the nation’s racial reckoning in 2020 and 2021 are increasingly under the microscope, USA TODAY recently reported.
Last year’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions only intensified that scrutiny, setting off a wave of legal challenges from former Trump administration official Stephen Miller and anti-affirmative-action activist Edward Blum. Billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman have also assailed DEI efforts as “racist.”
Pressure campaigns have gotten results. John Deere, a Fortune 500 company, recently came under fire for diversity hiring targets and sponsoring LGBTQ+ events.
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“We are proud of our access mission that gives all qualified Mississippi students the opportunity to earn a college degree,” Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in the statement from Ole Miss. “This proposed division will help students navigate the college experience and keep pace with their peers to persist and graduate.
“By focusing resources to help all students be successful, this will make us a better university.”
This move, the university said, is designed in part to address a growing problem for Mississippi: a steady decline in the number of the state’s high school graduates enrolling in higher education. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the state is already feeling the effects of the “enrollment cliff” expected to reduce the number of high school graduates nationally over the next several years.
“By integrating and aligning our efforts across new departments and functional areas, we are poised to strengthen our engagement, compliance, efficiency and support systems,” said Shawnboda Mead, who will serve as vice chancellor over the new division.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
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Publish date : 2024-08-16 10:06:00
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