University of California drops diversity statement mandate for faculty hiring
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UCSF's Mission Bay medical center in San Francisco. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
The University of California will no longer require diversity statements in faculty hiring, provost Katherine Newman said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The UC system's move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the nation and threatens to withdraw federal funding from academic institutions with policies related to race or diversity.
State of play: Diversity statements, typically used to ask applicants how they'd contribute to campus DEI, aim to help institutions attract and retain underrepresented groups across race, class, sexual orientation, religion and more.
- UC does not have a systemwide policy requiring these statements, but campuses have been mandating them in their search processes for years.
- The system was also sued last year over its DEI statement requirement for faculty, but the case was thrown out without ruling on the issue itself.
Driving the news: In a letter to campus provosts, Newman said the board of regents directed the universities to "ensure that diversity statements are no longer required" for new faculty applicants.
- "The requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience," Newman wrote.
- Hiring committees can still consider candidates' experiences with diversity alongside broader qualifications if they're included in the application process, she added.
Janet Reilly, chair of UC's board of regents, said in a separate statement that UC's "values and commitment to our mission have not changed" and that it would "continue to embrace and celebrate Californians from a variety of life experiences, backgrounds, and points of view."
Between the lines: Though the letter did not explicitly reference the Trump administration, it's hard not to see this as a result of its attacks on DEI, which the U.S. Department of Education has claimed is a tool for discrimination.
- Reframing DEI programs, which were created to provide equal opportunities for minority students after decades of segregationist policies, is in part an effort to reinterpret Civil Rights-era laws to focus on "anti-white racism."
- The Trump administration is already investigating 45 schools, including UC Berkeley, over allegations of "race-exclusionary practices" in their graduate programs.
- Meanwhile, the Council of UC Faculty Associations has raised concern that UC is caving to pressure from President Trump and could take further steps to dismantle DEI initiatives.
Zoom in: UC San Diego was the first UC campus to adopt DEI statements in the faculty hiring process in 2009, but over the past decade the diversity of UCSD's academic workforce has not changed significantly.
By the numbers: In fall 2024, about 61% of UCSD's academic personnel were white, compared to 71% in 2015, university data shows.
- 24% are Asian, up from 19%
- 9% are Hispanic or Latino, up from 7%
- 2.4% are Black, up from 1.9%
- Indigenous people make up less than 1%
At UCSF, about 57% of faculty members were white in fall 2023, compared to 65% in 2015, per university data.
- 28% were Asian, up from 27%.
- 6% are Hispanic or Latino, up from 5%.
- 4% are Black, up from 2%.
- Native Americans or Alaska Natives comprised less than 1% in both years.
At UC Berkeley, about 67% of faculty members were white in fall 2024, according to the Office of Faculty Equity & Welfare.
- 19% were Asian, up from 14%.
- 8% were Hispanic or Latino, up from 6%.
- 7% were Black, up from 3%.
- 1% are Native American or Alaska Native, up from 2015.