The future of diversity, equity and inclusion staff jobs in North Carolina’s public university system could be at stake after a five-person committee swiftly voted to repeal a key policy Wednesday.
The Committee on University Governance within the University of North Carolina Board of Governors that oversees 17 schools, voted in less than four minutes to reverse and replace a policy related to DEI. The full board of 24 members is to vote on the matter again next month, and if approved, the repeal would take effect immediately.
If the policy is fully repealed, the UNC system could join another major public university — the University of Florida in Gainesville — in dismantling its diversity office. Florida’s flagship university announced in a memo last month that it was scrapping its office and shifting its funding for faculty recruitment instead.