Here’s what you need to know about the University of Arizona
UA was established in 1885, and its main campus is in Tucson. The Wildcats once had a live bobcat named Rufus as a mascot.
The Republic
The University of Arizona is reviewing its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs following new federal guidance.The U.S. Department of Education is demanding schools remove race-based programming or risk losing federal funding.Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has also called for Arizona universities to comply with Trump administration order ending DEI programs.
The University of Arizona is “assessing” its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and jobs after federal officials released new guidance threatening race-based initiatives late last week.
In an email sent to the UA community Tuesday morning, President Suresh Garimella said the school will create an inventory of DEI-related programs and continue to abide by state and federal laws. He said officials will be “assessing the impact on the university community,” but it’s unclear if that will bring any program changes.
“We are taking a proactive approach toward ensuring compliance with new policies and procedures that will impact higher education institutions in the coming weeks and months,” the email read.
Spokespeople with Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University said the schools were still evaluating the federal actions to determine next steps.
The move comes a few days after the U.S. Department of Education shared a four-page letter demanding schools remove any race-based programming. The federal agency said schools had two weeks from Feb. 14 to comply or risk the loss of federal funding.
“DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not,” the letter read. “Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes.”
Another letter was sent earlier this month by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, asking all of the leaders of Arizona’s three main public universities to fully comply with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January calling for the end of “any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”
Garimella acknowledged the uncertainty and confusion some faculty and students are feeling in response to a flurry of federal actions affecting research and diversity efforts.
“First, these changes and our efforts to understand them do not change our commitment to our land-grant mission as one of America’s leading research institutions,” Garimella wrote. “We are and will remain committed to the work you do every day, to the success of our students, and to the impact we have on our state and the world. Second, we will continue to uphold our university commitment to fostering a campus environment where everyone can thrive as we advance our academic, research and service missions.”
According to the website for UA’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the school works to “foster within the community of Wildcats a culture of diversity and equity, practicing courageous compassion in every interaction from every office, division, and college.”
Several aspects of the school’s site are unavailable or only viewable by authorized personnel, including the page for the Bias Education & Support Team and UA’s Land Acknowledgement video. A UA spokesperson was not immediately available to discuss the changes.
Leila Hudson, a UA professor and chair of the Faculty Senate, said she has faith in UA faculty’s commitment to an educational mission that does not “discriminate or exclude anyone.”
“That’s a long-term commitment, regardless of what the current political climate or judicial tests may require at any particular time,” she said. “So I’m very confident in our core values.”
Hudson noted the fast-changing guidance coming from the federal level has made the faculty’s jobs harder as they work to protect federal funding and support.
“The language coming from our political leaders is to create a sense of uncertainty and anxiety about a poorly defined set of criteria.”
Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
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Publish date : 2025-02-18 05:20:00
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