Responding to a push from President Donald Trump’s administration to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from academia, the University of Wyoming has cut ties with a national nonprofit program for Ph.D. candidates.
UW cut ties with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that partners with universities and companies to create networking opportunities for doctoral students, mostly from business colleges.
In the “about us” section of PhD Project’s website, the group had previously stated that the organization’s goal was “diversifying corporate America by diversifying the role models in front of classroom.”
References to “diversifying” have been removed from the website.
Responding to a request for comment on from Cowboy State Daily on Monday, the PhD Project sent a statement via email that reiterated the group’s goals but made no mention of UW.
“For the last 30 years, The PhD Project has worked to expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor, and support tomorrow’s leaders. Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events,” the group stated.
“This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision. The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today,” according to the statement.
UW Already Ditching DEI
Even before cutting ties with the PhD Project, UW was already moving away from DEI, according to a statement from the university.
“In response to state legislation that prohibited the university from engaging in “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs, UW in May 2024 eliminated its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and began a comprehensive review of university practices to eliminate those that promote differential treatment of individuals or classify people on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin,” according to UW
“The College of Business’s participation in The PhD Project was one of the items flagged in the review, and UW is discontinuing the relationship,” UW stated.
Trump Administration Official Slams DEI
A Trump administration official last month sent out a letter to
“colleagues” in academia, harshly criticizing DEI programs.
Craig Trainor, Trump’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education, announced in the letter his department’s investigation race-based programs.
“Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,” Trainor stated in the letter.
UW stated that it will cooperate with the Department of Education’s investigation – including dropping the PhD Project.
“The Department of Education has identified UW as one of 45 institutions that potentially violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with The Ph.D. Project, which provides doctoral students with insights into degree pursuit and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants,” the university stated.
“UW’s College of Business has been a partner in the program as a way to increase its pipeline of graduate students,” according to the statement.
Lacking In Diversity?
Retired University of Wyoming professor Donal O’Toole told Cowboy State Daily that he’s not surprised that UW cut ties with the PhD Project.
“The university is running away from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion said O’Toole, who taught classes in the UW college of Agriculture for 32 years before retiring in 2023.
He added that the UW College of Business is one of the more conservative colleges on campus, so it was hard for him to believe that it would be associated with anything “that would smack of ‘reverse discrimination,’” he said.
He noted that UW recently gained recognition as a “Tier 1 Carnegie Institution,” largely because of the number of Ph.D. graduates it produces.
O’Toole said that during his tenure, most of his students were white.
“On only two occasions, to my knowledge, in 32 years did I ever have a Native American in my class,” he said.
He thought it was strange for Wyoming – a state with rich Native American heritage.
He said that during his graduate studies at Colorado State University, he encountered fellow students from all over the world, including from Sudan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Brazil.
“It enormously opened my horizons,” he said.
While forcing diversity through DEI programs might be facing backlash, having a variety of people from all over the world in an academic setting is beneficial to everyone, O’Toole said.
He added that the current pushback against DEI might be a visceral reaction to current political and cultural trends.
It could be “alarm on the part of white folks, that whitey may no longer be in charge,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
