31 Colleges Agree to End Partnerships With PhD Project

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

The resolutions show that Trump’s crackdown on race-based programming isn’t over, despite recent court orders blocking the ED’s anti-DEI guidance.

All but 14 of the 45 universities placed under investigation for participating in the PhD Project and allegedly violating civil rights law have agreed to cease partnering with the organization, the Education Department announced Thursday.

The Office for Civil Rights launched the investigations last March, arguing that the PhD Project, a nonprofit organization that connects prospective business doctoral candidates from underrepresented backgrounds with academic networks, was “limit[ing] eligibility based on the race of participants.” 

So by supporting or partnering with the PhD Project, OCR accused the universities of violating regulatory guidance from the department as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. (Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.)

The 31 universities that reached agreements with OCR had either already terminated their relationship with the nonprofit or have agreed to do so moving forward. They’ve also agreed to review their partnerships with all other external organizations to ensure they don’t also restrict participation based on race, according to the department.

Learn about how the Trump administration spun this as a positive.

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