UNM under federal civil rights investigation in Trump anti-DEI crusade

The University of New Mexico was one of 45 higher education institutions nationwide that came under a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Education on Friday for allegedly “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs,” the agency said in a news release.

UNM’s main campus in Albuquerque, neighboring institutions, including the University of Arizona, and several Ivy League schools were among the colleges and universities alleged to have violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for partnering with The PhD Project, a nonprofit that works to develop business school faculty and grow the number of underrepresented students who hold a doctorate. The department said Friday that colleges and universities broke the law by partnering with an organization that allegedly “limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”

The investigations came after the department warned institutions in a Feb. 14 letter to end racial preferences in programming or risk losing federal funding.

The department’s announcement was the latest in President Donald Trump’s efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which was revived late Friday when a Virginia-based appeals court ruled that, as litigation continues, Trump could enforce two executive orders telling federal agencies and government contractors to stop instituting DEI initiatives.

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the Friday release from her agency that the new higher education investigations follow inquiries into certain colleges and universities for “widespread antisemitic harassment” and discrimination on the basis of sex.

“Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes,” McMahon said. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”

UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said in a prepared statement that the university is “aware of ORC’s (Office for Civil Rights) investigation and is currently looking into the matter.” She could not confirm whether UNM, home to the Anderson School of Management, has a partnership with The PhD Project.

New Mexico State University is listed on The PhD Project’s website as a “university partner,” but the institution said Friday it has not received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education about an investigation.

The PhD Project issued a statement to the Journal on Friday defending its mission, but not directly mentioning the ORC’s investigations. The nonprofit did say, however, that this year, it opened its membership application to “anyone who shares that vision” of creating a “broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders.”

The PhD Project has found itself in the crosshairs of culture wars. The University of Texas system recommended to five of its institutions that had partnered with the nonprofit to withdraw membership, which several institutions had already done, according to a report from Inside Higher Ed. The University of Iowa announced earlier this year it was ending its partnership with The PhD Project due to directives from the Legislature and its governing board prohibiting DEI initiatives, according to a report from the campus newspaper, The Daily Iowan.