Scoop: Arizona universities rename graduation events honoring diverse student groups

ASU and UofA declined to say why they made the name changes — and the event programs themselves don't appear to have modified.

• On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to higher education institutions demanding they remove race-based programming or face federal funding cuts.
• The letter specifically called out "segregation by race at graduation ceremonies."
• The ASU website makes a point of explaining that "celebrations" are "open to all students."

Driving the news: The ceremonies were recently renamed from "convocations" to "celebrations" on the universities' websites.

• ASU's Hispanic, international student, rainbow, Asian/Asian Pacific American, Black African and American Indian graduation events were all called convocations on December's fall 2024 graduation schedule. Now, they are listed as celebrations.
• UofA's 2025 Adalberto and Ana Guerrero Student Center graduation celebration was called a convocation on the university's website as recently as Feb. 21, per the Wayback Machine web archive. It's now dubbed a "celebration and awards ceremony."

How it works: Special interest graduation ceremonies are longstanding traditions for many universities.

• They often feature performers or speakers from the racial, ethnic or gender groups being honored.

Reality check: Though celebrations may sound less official, it appears they will function similarly to convocations, per online event descriptions.

• "There are, and will continue to be, celebrations held by and for various student groups." ASU spokesperson Jerry Gonzalez told Axios in a statement.
• UofA spokesperson Mitch Zak did not answer specific questions but said: "The university is taking a measured approach toward ensuring compliance with new policies and procedures."

The other side: Maricopa Community Colleges canceled all convocation ceremonies that celebrate "diverse communities and special interest groups," chancellor Steven Gonzales said in an email to employees this week.

Zoom in: The community college district has taken more significant steps to comply with the Department of Education's guidance than the state's universities so far.

• Gonzalez said employees must remove pronouns from their email signatures, can no longer use district money to attend conferences that "focus on DEI activities," and must cease employee support groups "focused on race, identity or national origin."

• Maricopa Community Colleges' Disability Advisory Council will be disbanded, employees in DEI-related positions will be reassigned and website language related to DEI initiatives will be modified, Gonzalez said.

What they're saying: "The changes made were entirely driven by the compliance requirements set forth by the federal government. Failure to comply could jeopardize federal funding, including our ability to accept financial aid," the district said in a statement to Axios.

Meanwhile, ASU, UofA and NAU have not revealed major policy changes in response to the DEI guidance.

• UofA deleted its webpage for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and tweaked its online Indigenous land acknowledgement, the Arizona Republic reported.
• ASU's Gonzalez told us the university is "reviewing executive orders as they are issued to assess their possible impacts."
• NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ann Ott said the university "continues to evaluate federal actions and where they might affect university operations in order to determine next steps."

What we're watching: University budgets rely on significant federal funding.

• If Trump follows through on his threats to withhold that money from noncompliant schools, Arizona's colleges may be forced to make tough decisions.