Minnesota Law School Cancels Search For Assistant Dean Of DEI Due To Trump's Executive Order

MPR News, U of M Law School Holds Off on Hiring Assistant Dean of DEI:

The University of Minnesota Law School is halting the hiring of a new assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion as President Donald Trump continues to crack down on DEI in federal programs.

Dean William McGeveran said he “had no choice but to pause the search” for an assistant dean of DEI. McGeveran made the comments in an email on Friday. The school has spent at least the last three months searching for a new assistant DEI dean and is canceling scheduled visits for the finalists.

McGeveran cited a changing landscape in higher education, following Trump’s order that put federal DEI workers on paid leave. He also said the school is reassessing its DEI programs.

For Dean McGeveran's email to the community, see here.

Minnesota Daily, UMN Pauses DEI Expansion, Hiring for Law School Assistant Dean Position:

The University sent a statement to the Minnesota Daily which reads “Many new executive orders are being issued at the federal level and we continue to monitor these changing federal policies, including last week’s pause, then restart, of federal funding related to diversity, equity and inclusion. We want to assure everyone in our community that we value the activities that support diversity of thought and inclusion, which strengthen our teaching and research. We are not rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion at the University and we are not making any preemptive changes to our existing programs. While focusing on our commitment to our current employees who contribute this important work, we felt it was the responsible decision to pause expanding our current activities until federal policies are further clarified.”

Minnesota Star Tribune, University of Minnesota Law School Is Halting Search For New DEI Leader in Response to Trump’s Ban:

The University of Minnesota law school is pausing the search for its next assistant dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion as administrators navigate President Donald Trump’s ban of DEI programs in the federal government.

The university also is tightening up its messaging about diversity work, by implementing a new systemwide policy requiring legal counsel to review all internal and external communications related to DEI. ...

Kelley Leaf, practicum coordinator and teaching specialist at the school of social work, told the group that the new policy “is absolutely horrifying. … I wanted to make sure that our state leadership understands that the University of Minnesota preemptively crumbled like a cookie.”

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Bloomberg, Trump's DEI Scrutiny Coming To Law Schools (Jan. 23, 2025)
• Chronicle of Higher Education, Trump Targets 131 Colleges (74 With Law Schools) With Endowments Over $1 Billion For Possible DEI Investigations (Jan. 27, 2025)

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