This week Mike and Elizabeth discuss the potential fall of diversity statements as a condition of university employment. In such statements job candidates are required to describe how they can enhance their future employer's diversity goals. MIT president Sally Korbluth recently announced that the statements will no longer be mandatory, calling them a version of compelled speech which may interfere with freedom of expression. A few states are pressuring public institutions to do away with the diversity litmus tests and to dismantle DEI offices, or alter their focus. Interest in narrow applications of DEI as a strategic mission may be waning in some businesses and professional organizations. Public enthusiasm may also be weaker. It is not clear, however, that educational institutions will willingly shift to broader considerations of diversity and viewpoint tolerance for many years to come.
Podcast Notes:
Are Companies Quiet Quitting DEI? Forbes, March 5, 2023
“The backlash is real”: Behind DEI’s rise and fall, Axios, April 2, 2024
Our May Liberalism in Practice Panel Discussion is with Helen Pluckrose on her forthcoming book, The Counterweight Handbook. Register to learn more about strategies for surviving and defeating Critical Social Justice.
Our May Liberal Values Lab is on Woke Antisemitism with David Bernstein. Register to join the conversation.
