The U.’s David Eccles School of Business was included Friday among a list of 45 universities across the country that have been flagged for “engaging in race-exclusionary practices” that the administration believes disadvantage white students.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
The Trump administration told schools in a memo last month that they had two weeks to stop any programs that give racial preference to students in admissions and scholarships — or risk losing federal funding. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s push to gut diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education.
Many of the schools now under investigation, including the U., are those that have partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that supports students from underrepresented backgrounds in pursuing business degrees. The project’s goal is to have more diverse voices in the business world and the faculty of business schools.
In its announcement Friday, the Department of Education claimed the program “limits eligibility based on the race of participants.” That, the department said, violates federal law, including a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended affirmative action and race-conscious admissions for universities and colleges.
In a statement Friday to The Salt Lake Tribune, the PhD Project said it has worked for 30 years to “expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor and support tomorrow’s leaders.” It added that it has opened its membership application to “anyone who shares that vision.”
The project lists the U.’s business school on its website as a participant, though it’s not clear how long the university has been associated with the nonprofit. It appears the U. hosted at least one event with the project, where prospective students could ask questions about the school’s doctorate program in business administration.
Read the full report at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.