Gov. Pillen praises UNL’s decision to dissolve Office of Diversity and Inclusion

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s recent decision to close its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and eliminate the vice chancellor position that directed its efforts drew mixed reactions throughout the state Wednesday.

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett made the announcement in a letter to students and staff on Tuesday, saying, “I fully grasp the weight of this decision and its implications, but a centralized approach to this work is no longer right for our institution.”

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was originally created in 2018, and the vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion position has been held by Dr. Marco Barker since 2019.

The ACLU of Nebraska called the change that follows a nationwide wave of universities and colleges defunding or outright banning similar programs “deeply troubling”. In Nebraska, LB 1330, which attempted to prohibit public educational institutions from requiring employees to engage in a diversity, equity, and inclusion program, spending money on a DEI program or establishing a DEI office, failed to get out of committee earlier this year.

“The university’s decision to cut an office that is specifically meant to foster learning for all students is troubling, particularly given the political targeting of these programs along with the longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in Nebraska’s college and university graduation rates. Although Chancellor Bennett has pledged to ‘reimagine’ this work, dissolving an office dedicated to diversity and inclusion without a clear, public plan for the work going forward is deeply troubling,” Joy Kathurima, legal and policy counsel at the ACLU of Nebraska, said.

Others, such as Gov. Jim Pillen, were pleased with Bennett’s decision to close the office and commended him for moving in a different direction.

“Although that office should never have been established in the first place, it takes courage for a leader to recognize a mistake and chart a new direction,” Pillen said. “The work of eliminating DEI and critical race theory from our public institutions is not complete with the elimination of one bureaucratic office, though. We must continue the work of keeping our university curriculum, programming and its mission free of discrimination or racial preferences in any form.”

In December 2018, Pillen, a University of Nebraska Regent at the time, voted to approve for the creation of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Pillen said he will continue to fight to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used for those purposes, not only in state government, but throughout the university system.

“The University of Nebraska should be open and equally welcoming to people of all races and creeds, focused on discipline, excellence and integrity, not race-based DEI,” Pillen said.

In a statement from OutNebraska, a non-partisan organization dedicated to empowering, celebrating and growing LGBTQ+ communities in the state, it expressed concern for Bennett’s need for a ‘decentralized approach’.

“His suggestion that a welcoming environment will come about simply by instructing staff and faculty to ‘welcome all students’ is unconvincing. We know this work requires the same care and attention that keeps any university initiative running: staff, funding and institutional support,” Abbi Swatsworth, executive director for OutNebraska, said.

The existing Diversity Advisory Board, comprised of external stakeholders, will be elevated and serve as the Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Community and Belonging.

In November of 2023, Bennett proposed budget cuts totaling $12 million, which is part of the NU system’s $58 million shortfall projected over the next two years. One major proposal would’ve cut $800,000 from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and restructure it from a central hub for DEI to a role primarily supporting university-wide priorities or initiatives.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.