DOJ launches civil rights probe into University of California’s race-based hiring plan

A University of California plan to increase employee diversity might violate federal racial discrimination laws, the Department of Justice said in a recent letter. 

The department’s Civil Rights Division informed system President Michael Drake in a June 26 letter of an investigation into the school’s “2030 Capacity Plan” to determine whether it violates federal civil rights law.

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“When the Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that a state or local government employer is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII, it is the Attorney General’s responsibility to take appropriate action to eliminate that violation, including presenting the matter to the appropriate court for civil proceedings,” the letter says.

“Public employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit racial and other employment discrimination,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a June 26 press release. “Institutional directives that use race- and sex-based hiring practices expose employers to legal risk under federal law.”

The stated goal of the university’s capacity plan, which was published in 2022, is to increase racial and gender diversity among faculty, staff, and students to better reflect the state’s identity and tap previously unsought potential among minorities.

While the plan primarily highlights efforts to increase student enrollment diversity, the department’s letter only mentions discrimination in hiring. Other parts of the university’s document discuss ways to increase faculty diversity.

“The University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, both underrepresented minorities and female faculty,” the plan states.

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The document immediately follows this assessment with various methods the system has used to attract and encourage minority candidates, such as the Advancing Faculty Diversity program.  

The web page discusses the program’s intent to “promote an equitable academic culture for all.”

According to the 2030 Capacity Plan, the program’s explicit goal is “aimed at increasing faculty diversity and improving academic climate and faculty retention.”

Other programs include the UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship Program, the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and Chancellors’ Fellowship Program. These programs “encourage outstanding women and minority Ph.D. recipients with opportunities and resources to help launch their academic careers.”

Campus Reform has contacted the University of California for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.