Trump Has Issued a Blitz of Executive Orders. Some Could Affect Higher Ed.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Jasper Smith

January 21, 2025

Hours into his second term, President Trump banned diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the federal government, eliminated a number of programs related to race and gender, and declared that there were “two sexes.”

On Tuesday, the new administration sent a memo directing that all diversity staff in federal agencies be placed on paid leave and eventually laid off, according to CBS News. The memo also told agencies to ask employees “if they know of any efforts to disguise these programs through coded or imprecise language.”

The flurry of executive orders and policy revocations so far, a sign of the new Trump administration’s priorities, sends a message about opposition to DEI that could prompt colleges to act preemptively, some higher-ed experts say.

Trump’s actions come as Republican state lawmakers and colleges in red states have eliminated or altered diversity offices, programs, and jobs on campuses.

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