Las Vegas university among the 45 targeted by Education Dept in probe into DEI policies

(The Center Square) - University of Nevada, Las Vegas is among the 45 universities being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for race-based programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

The investigations are targeting universities in 38 states and Washington, D.C.

The Department of Education has named UNLV as one of the 45 universities potentially partnered with The PhD Project, a business professor program the department said limited eligibility based on race.

The Title VI racial anti-discrimination probe could have legal implications for UNLV.

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

Named at the center of the USDE inquiry, The PhD Project has been accused of unfairly discriminating by race.

The PhD Project described itself as a program to turn business students into professors. In 2023, the PhD Project reported a little over $3.6 million in total expenses and 41 new higher education faculty members through the program. The PhD Project also highlighted its role in increasing the number of people of color that earned business doctorates in the U.S. by over 500% in the last 30 years.

The PhD Project told The Center Square Monday its “vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship and unique events. This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision.”

The USDE investigation cited a letter that highlighted discrimination against white and Asian students.

“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families,” read the letter by Craig Trainor, assistant secretary for civil rights of the USDE.

Named in the USDE probe, the UNLV and its Lee Business School list six professors – three of them white, the other three with Asian background. In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics found that 72% of full-time university professors were white.

While the specific implications of the USDE investigation are unclear, the department’s Office of Civil Rights said universities that did not comply with the investigation or its findings “may result in OCR initiating enforcement through administrative proceedings or referring the case to the Department of Justice for judicial proceedings.”