Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
In an effort to intimidate more than 50 private and public universities across the nation to cease their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs and practices, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) under the Trump Administration is investigating them for allegedly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
One of those universities under investigation is Duke University in Durham.
The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights is accusing Duke and more than 50 other major institutions of racially discriminating against White and Asian American students in their partnerships with the non-profit The PdD Project.
Founded in 1994, The PhD Project was launched with the goal of “…creating more role models (of color) in the front of business classrooms” and “diversifying corporate America by diversifying the role models in front of the classrooms,” according to its website over the years. More than 1500 of its members have earned their doctoral degrees, with currently more than 240 students in Ph.D. programs. Ninety percent of the program’s members complete their business Ph.D.s, with many going on to work in higher education after graduation.
Among the members of color who were inductees into the PhD Project’s Hall of Fame with North Carolina collegiate ties was the late Quiester Craig, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus of the School of Business and Economics at N.C. A&T State University, inducted in 2011; and Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, professor of Information Systems/Technology at N.C. State University, inducted in 2017. Members of the Hall of Fame were “presenters, mentors and advisors” who have helped recruit outstanding, highly qualified students from diverse backgrounds to enter and complete Ph.D. programs in a variety of business fields.
According to statistics released by the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates in 2022, African Americans earned 7.5 percent of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of this country, which is the highest number ever recorded.
Historically, the DOE’s Civil Rights Division investigates schools and programs accused of violating the civil rights of students of color or women. But now that the Trump Administration has made eradicating DEI programs and practices from the American landscape a top priority, any program seen as being primarily beneficial to students of color or women is now determined to be discriminatory and illegal.
In a press release, the DOE alleged that The PhD Project “…limits eligibility based on the race of participants.” The project counters that it has broadened its scope in recent months. There is evidence that the project has recently deemphasized its work with Black and other students of color.
A visit to the project’s website now shows not just men and women of color, but White and Asian American members as well.
If Duke or any of the other 50 universities under investigation are found to be in violation of the new interpretation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by the Trump Administration, they could lose federal funding.
