Dear Reader,
Regardless of where on the political spectrum you fall, there is a universal understanding that the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump will spark significant changes to higher education.
I won’t hazard a guess as to what those changes will ultimately look like or how they will be implemented, but I feel certain, unfortunately, that his anti-DEI rhetoric was not simply part of his campaign strategy.
Trump has consistently expressed a clear and persistent disdain for the way diversity and inclusion ideals present as policies, programs, and professional initiatives in colleges and universities. And I do believe that he and his incoming cabinet will take action against them that goes well beyond the DEI dismantling already put into place by many state legislatures.
But does the incoming administration really know what they’re taking action against?
The prevailing public argument against DEI work focuses on the idea that it benefits people of color at the expense of their White counterparts, whether that is professionally, academically, financially, or socially. As a country founded on land taken from Native Americans and partially built by the forced labor of Africans and generations of their progeny, it is not surprising that many might take a narrow view of diversity that assumes it is only reflective of differences in racial or ethnic heritage.
It’s so much more than just that!
Diversity encompasses the broad spectrum of lived experience — our backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, beliefs, and identities. Programs aimed at including a diverse set of voices at the table and meeting a diverse range of needs can focus on veterans, student and employee applicants from geographically marginalized or underresourced areas, those for whom English is a second language, who identify as LGBQTIA+, are neurodivergent, have differing physical abilities, religions, and more.
True diversity and inclusion work fosters an environment where all people on a campus, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, or any other characteristic, have the opportunity to connect, engage, feel welcome, and thrive.
It’s about preparing our future college graduates to engage in a complex, interconnected world — one that consistently requires communication and collaboration with others whose backgrounds and experiences may not resemble their own.
The danger in simplifying DEI to a zero-sum game is that we lose sight of its real purpose: building stronger, more resilient communities where differences are valued and valuable, rather than feared. In higher education, this translates to creating campuses where every student and employee feels a sense of belonging and can see themselves reflected in the curriculum, the leadership, the surrounding community, and their peers.
As we move forward into a year of unknown transformation and resistance, I invite each of you to reflect on what diversity and inclusion mean within your own spheres. Because this is not just about policy — it’s about people, their unique stories, and the type of society we are striving to cultivate.
Higher education, at its best, is a space where ideas grow and evolve and where every individual can contribute to a shared pursuit of knowledge and progress.
We’ll be keeping a close watch on the changes ahead and, as always, advocating for the values that make college and university campuses vibrant, inclusive places to learn and grow.
As we celebrate the start of 2025, the entire staff at Insight Into Diversity wishes each of you a safe and healthy new year.
Katy Abrams
